


Bloom

by Ember360



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, And shes also a Blupjeans kid!, Childhood Friends, First Dates, Fitzroy has parental issues, Grief/Mourning, I had to research the foster care system law school curriculum and The Magic Treehouse for this, M/M, Mild Language, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Death, Rainer has a little brother, Slow Build, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Storytelling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-02-23 07:30:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23241175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ember360/pseuds/Ember360
Summary: A world where you are born with a tattoo of your soulmate's favorite flower. The state of the flower (blooming or wilting) is based on the emotional state of your soulmate(s). When you meet your soulmate, the flowers printed on them grow among yours.Argo has snapdragons along his upper body.Fitzroy has a single daylily on his wrist.!On a small hiatus while I wait for my new glasses, writing too much hurts my eyes sorry I will still be working on one-shots!
Relationships: Argo Keene & Rainer, Argo Keene & Shebrie Keene, Argo Keene/Sir Fitzroy Maplecourt, Sir Fitzroy Maplecourt & Rainer, background Buckminster Eden/Leon the Sidekick
Comments: 65
Kudos: 146





	1. Stressed

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Another Maplekeene fic because I am Gay and Tired. This one's a soulmate thing, and the system is kind of one I made up??? Hopefully it makes sense haha. 
> 
> Also, note, this fanfic deals with the foster care system a bit so if that sort of stuff is a touchy subject for you then its probably best to skip out on this one, for at least the first two chapters or so?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fitzroy hides something.
> 
> Argo misses someone.

"I-I don't know what to do, its been like this for, like, a month now." Rainer watched as her friend paced across the room. She was worried about Fitzroy. Despite what many might think, he was kind of an anxious dude. And this situation probably didn't help with his constant worrying.

Rainer paused to think for a moment. "Can I see it again?" she asked. Fitzroy stopped walking and nodded. He held out his wrist for her to see, revealing the small flower that was imprinted there. Rainer frowned. Usually Fitzroy's soulmark was a deep red with rivers of gold along the petals, but today the little daylily was paler and shriveled. "Hm. It's been a month, you said?"

Fitzroy nodded miserably and Rainer's heart sunk. She had no idea what to do about this whole ordeal. It wasn't uncommon for a flower to wilt, everyone's soulmate had bad days sometimes. But for a whole month? Rainer could understand Fitzroy's worries. She looked down at her own soulmark; small crimson roses that ran along her hands like fishnet gloves. She traced the outline of one of the thorns along her pinky in order to concentrate. 

"I'm not sure there's much we _can_ do, Fitz," Rainer said with a sigh. "I mean, I'm sure nothing too drastic has happened. Maybe they're just going through a rough spell?" She knew that her advice sounded pitiful, but it was the best she could do. 

Fitzroy groaned and ran his hands along his face. "I _know_ but like, it feels so weird knowing that they're out their somewhere and they're upset I can't do _anything_! It just- It makes me so- I- Arrrgh!" Rainer noticed the way that Fitzroy clenched his fists, how he stood there with so many emotions, not knowing how to get them out. 

"Hey, don't punch a hole in the wall again," she teased in an attempt to lighten the mood. "My parents would go bonkers." 

Fitzroy threw his hands in the air in exasperation. "Oh come on, that was one time! And it was like forever ago!" Rainer chuckled and her friend gave her a skeptical look. "Besides, your dad wouldn't hurt a fly." 

"Yeah, but my mom would," Rainer reasoned. Fitzroy shrugged, as if to say "yeah, that's fair". With a sigh, he flopped down onto her bed. Meanwhile, Rainer reached across her small desk and grabbed one of the skulls in her collection. The accumulation of animal bones had been her father's when he was her age and she took great pride in caring for them. 

Rainer dragged one finger lightly down the front of the raccoon skull and her gaze drifted back to Fitzroy, who lay staring at the ceiling. His expression gave away that he was thinking too much again. 

"Hey Fitz?" she said quietly. He turned to her with a sound of acknowledgment. "You know that they're going to be okay, right? Your soulmate will be fine soon enough." Fitzroy turned back to the ceiling with a deep breath. 

"Yeah, I know," he said. But the way his unfocused eyes stared blankly at the sky told Rainer that he did not.

\---

Fitzroy stared at the item in his drawer, his mind reeling. At first, the idea of even trying these made him mad at himself for thinking of it. But now... what else could he do? 

Rainer had been wrong. The daylily imprinted on Fitzroy's skin had remained wilted for almost a full year now. The once bold, deep colors of his soulmark were nothing but a memory to Fitzroy, its dark reds and golds now faded. The flower's long, graceful petals were seemingly doomed to a shriveled and floppy existence. 

Fitzroy felt a wave of hopelessness as he stared at it, the feeling of knowing how much someone was hurting without being able to do anything about it. The emotions were all so conflicting. He was angry at himself for being helpless, for feeling bad when his soulmate was the one who needed help. He was angry at the universe, the cruel way which it worked as it promised him that he'd be loved one day but who loved him would be miserable. He was sad and scared and lonely and confused. 

Why was the flower wilted so consistently? What could have possibly happened to them that made them this sorrowful? Maybe they were in trouble, maybe they were really sick, maybe they were dying, maybe they were already _dead_. No, that was stupid. When someone's soulmate died, their soulmark would completely shrivel and then fade away. Fitzroy's hadn't done that. Yet. 

Every time Fitzroy glanced at his wrist, even for a second, these emotions would come flooding back to him all at once. He was so tired of constantly thinking about it, of hurting and being overwhelmed all of the time. 

So maybe he could hide it. Out of sight, out of mind, right? It wasn't like he was embarrassed of the thing, he just didn't want to be reminded of it all of the time, that's all. 

Tentatively, the young man picked up the long, silk gloves in his drawer. Fitzroy slipped the white fabric onto his left hand and then overturned it to look at his wrist. Sure enough, he couldn't see the daylily under the clean cloth at all. It was... unsettling, but not in a creepy way. Just in a calm, unfeeling sort of way. 

Fitzroy felt a tinge of guilt and took a deep breath. He put the other glove on and closed the drawer. He stood and headed out the door the room, making an effort not to watch his covered hands open the door handle as he walked away.

\---

Argo was a cheerful kid. As cheesy as it sounds, he lived the type of life you'd hear about in stories, "simple, yet comfortable". Shebrie Keene didn't have much, but she was one to make the most of what she did; Argo especially. Her son was everything to her, and visa versa. They lived on her boat, the Mariah, which she used to give tours of the bay to those who came to visit the coast. Argo grew up loving the sea, the sting of the wind against his face and the smell of salt in the air as the sun shone down from the clouded sky. Each night, he fell asleep to the lullabies of his mother and the rocking of the vessel. Life was perfect.

And then it was all gone. Everything Argo had ever cared about, everything that he had ever loved, his mother... They were all gone. He lay awake at night, silent tears streaming down his face as one question pounded into his head. _Why_? Why her? Why'd she have to be the one to get sick, why not Argo instead? He sure felt sick. Maybe he was dying too, he felt like he was dying. Everything was spiraling out of control, everything hurt so much.

Argo's hands ran along his arms, touching the only thing that was familiar anymore, the only sign he had of things getting better. Long, pink and orange snapdragon plants grew along his arms, his back and the upper parts of his chest, unapologetically wild and bright. It felt as though he were clinging to a piece of driftwood amid a stormy sea and the waters from the ocean and sky were beating down on him as he desperately tried to keep his head above the dark, cold depths.

Finally, the state found him a family to stay with. The Jones family were not cruel to him, they gave him nice meals and a warm place to stay. But they were dismissive, and Argo, who had lived his whole life being the one object of his mother's affection, noticed it greatly. 

When Argo won an art contest at school, they didn't come to the ceremony, unlike Shebrie, who would'nt have missed it for the world. When he showed them a drawing they barely acknowledged it, but Argo could practically hear Shebrie's voice, feel her taking the paper out of his hands and hang on their fridge as she complimented every detail that Argo knew she would love. When Argo lay awake at night in his misery, he expected no familiar comfort from Mr. or Mrs. Jones. 

God, Argo missed his mom so, so much. He found himself drawing her, humming her lullaby, sewing with the special stiches that they had made up together. After work, he would drive to the cemetery in the Jones' car and climb the fence of the place where she now lay forever. 

That's where Argo lay now, sprawled beside her grave as he stared up at he stars with a bouquet of pink carnations in hand. "I'm almost 18 now, ma. It's almost been two years since ya left." He held the flowers to his face, turning them over as he looked at each petal. "Honestly I can't wait to get away. At least when I'm living alone no one can ignore because no one will be there in the first place," he chuckled sadly and put his hand with the flowers down.

"Maybe I should just leave now. They wouldn't notice. Remember when I spent the night at Firby's house and forgot to tell them but they didn't even realize I was missing? That was hilarious, I should do it again just spite them." Argo grinned painedly. "Ah, who am I kidding? They don't give a shit." 

The young man was suddenly plunged into darkness as the floodlights of the graveyard shut off. Argo frowned as he let his eyes readjust. "What am I doing here?" he asked sorrowfully after a long pause of silence. "I know this isn't what you wanted, ma, but it's all I know how to do. I should move on but I've tried and I _can't_ , I tried so hard to be strong like you but I'm _not_. I tried so hard to convince myself that things are fine, just like I've convinced everyone else but it's not working." The stars above became smudged as Argo looked at them through his tears. He was such a mess, he shouldn't be here, he should just go back to the house but what was the point if it wasn't _home_?. 

Finally, Argo's throat grew sore from sobbing and his tears ran dry. He took a shaky breath and stood, placing the carnations on the grave beside him. He could hear his mother's voice in his head again. "Argo," she would have said. "It's going to be okay." 

Argo stared numbly at the name carved into the headstone as he stood above it. "I'll be back tomorrow, ma," he murmured. And with that, he turned around and climbed back over the fence of the cemetery.


	2. Bittersweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Argo moves into a new apartment. 
> 
> Fitzroy finds some relief.

Argo wanted to go back to living by the sea. The sounds of the more populated areas were no match for the sounds of crashing waves. He missed the feel of the sand beneath his feet, the rocking of a boat and even the more busy atmosphere of the pier. The ocean was his home, and he wanted nothing more than to return to it. 

The issue was that the closer to the coast you came, the more expensive the housing got. The best that Argo could get was a dingy apartment about a mile away from the boardwalk. The housing section around the boardwalk was not the safest neighborhood, but Argo figured that he could handle it. He wasn't the type to piss people off or go looking for fights, so he should be fine, right? 

Getting his things to the apartment building was fairly easy. He had to take the bus using the new pass he had bought; the Jones' car had been his main form of transportation for the past two years but now that they were no longer associated with him he couldn't use it. Luckily, the boardwalk's area was fairly populated so bus stops were in abundance. It wasn't a long walk from the stop to the building either. 

The apartment complex allowed roommates to split the rent, so Argo decided to find an ad that was posted so the price could be cut down a bit. Besides, he was a social person and maybe he could meet a new friend this way! 

The bell of the elevator dinged as Argo walked into the hallway and fit his key into the room he was told was his. He was met with a messy living room with a kitchenette in the back. Sitting on the couch was a young man, seemingly a bit older than Argo. He was holding some sort of video game controller as he stared at the TV. What appeared to be small guitar case leaned against the arm of the couch beside him.

The man looked up, his face tired and bored. "Oh, um, hey." He put the controller down and stood up, putting his hand out to shake Argo's. "You're my new roommate, right? Name's Johann." 

Argo took his hand, which was a bit sticky but he didn't mind. "Nice to meet you, I'm Argo! It's a nice place you've got here, thanks for sharing it with me." Johann raised his eyebrows and glanced at the empty pizza boxes on the table by the couch. 

"Um, yeah, I think 'nice' is a bit of a stretch but," he sniffed and shrugged. "Thanks. Ah, shit, I should've cleaned this place before you got here, huh?" 

Argo smiled. "No, no I don't mind! I'm not the fancy sort, its fine." Johann smiled halfheartedly and looked down at the bags at Argo's feet. "I don't need help with this stuff, there's not much of it anyway," Argo added. His roommate nodded and sat back down, taking up the controller again.

With two suitcases in hand and one more bag slung on his back, Argo walked into the doorway at the side of the living room that revealed a small hallway lined with three wooden doors and sliding glass door at the end of it. 

"The room in the very back's yours, the one in the middle is the bathroom," Johann informed him. Argo thanked him for his guidance and dragged his luggage through the hallway and into the vacant room. 

Argo saw a small dresser, a bed and a nightstand with a lamp when he walked in. It was fairly tidy, aside from a layer of dust that was spread across the dresser and a small desk in the corner. Tidying up and finding places for his things shouldn't be too difficult. 

Eventually Argo finished organizing his things and putting them into drawers. He arranged his collection of seashells around the desk so that'd he'd still have enough room to work and then stood back to admire his work. It felt nice to organize something of his own. Things were weird right now, and he definitely had his fair share of worries but at least doing things with his hands always provided some sense of comfort.

When Argo was done in his room he decided to explore the other sections of the apartment, even if they were in little number. There was one thing in particular that he was excited for, something that had added to his intrigue in the ad that Johann had put up. 

Through the sliding glass door at the end of the hallway was a small balcony. Argo stepped onto it and shivered in the cold night air. In one corner of the balcony was a small potted plant that seemed on the brink of death. Aside from that, the ledge was empty. But Argo didn't care about the lonely plant at the moment, nor the lack of interesting decorations. He didn't care about the larger building that the balcony faced, nor the one beside. 

For nestled in-between the two buildings, Argo could see a shimmering black mass on the horizons. There it was, it was _right_ there. The ocean, his home... He was so close he could see its waters. 

For the first time in years, Argo felt a sense of peace. Memories of Shebrie came back to him, but not out of sorrow and grief. They weren't happy either but rather... bittersweet. _Bittersweet_. It was good word to describe the whole situation, wasn't it?

\--- 

"Fitzroy, I am serious, we are at the _beach_ , take your dumb gloves off and _help me_ with this!" Buckminster said in exasperation. Fitzroy glared at him through him rose-tinted sunglasses. He hadn't wanted to come here in the first place, it was too sunny out and crowded. But Rainer had insisted that he needed to "relax" and "take a break".

Suddenly, Buckminster screeched as Rainer poured her bucket of seawater on his head. "Stop bugging him about it Buck, you're just mad that Leon and I's castle is better than yours," she snickered. Buckminster grabbed the red bucket from out of her hand and dunked it in the sandy, murky waters of his moat. He then jerked it forward and Rainer shrieked but he pulled away just in time so that the contents of the bucket didn't splash onto her. 

"Oh so _that's_ how it is!" Rainer giggled. She leaned down a bit and picked up a green shovel that he had planted in a tall mound of sand and spun her chair around, its big wheels that had been outfitted for the sand almost crushing Buckminster's creation. "Bye bitch!" She called over her shoulder as she sped away. 

Fitzroy watched his friends from the safety of his beach towel and umbrella. He watched as Buck chased Rainer through the sand and took his friend's words into consideration. 

Fitzroy had gotten more adept at lying over the past year or so. Or, at least, half-truths. Whether it was about the gloves ("Oh? These? Yeah, I'm trying to get out of my nail-biting habit.") or his soulmark ("Yeah, mine's covered up most of the time, you know how it is"), he was fairly good at it now. But Buckminster and Rainer had been his friends for years, they would've known what was going on even if he tried to lie about it. Or maybe just Rainer... Buckminster could be a little dense at times.

Nevertheless, they were the people that Fitzroy found himself most often confiding in. A year ago, when he first started wearing the gloves, Rainer had been the first person he explained his reasoning to. He wanted to hang out with them, but playing in the sand and water were both activities that required uncovered hands. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Fitzroy spotted Leon, Buckminster's soulmate. Leon was a quiet guy, but he was also sincere, and clever. Fitzroy found him a bit odd because of this, but Leon had been nothing but kind to him so he didn't mind. Plus, he seemed like the type of guy who could keep a secret... 

"Fitzroy? Are you doing alright?" Leon asked, apparently noticing his staring. He had a concerned expression on his face and one hand was holding the small flag that Buckminster had put on his castle. Fitzroy suspected that he was stealing it in order to mess with his boyfriend. 

"Yeah, yeah, it's just..." Fitzroy shrugged, unsure how to phrase his worries. Would Leon look down on him for trying to hide his soulmark? He didn't seem like the type but one could never be to careful... "I wish I could come hang but I, uh, don't want to get sunburned." Yeah, not his best lie by far.

Leon gave him a knowing look. "Listen, if you aren't comfortable, then don't do it. But if it's holding you back from doing something you want, at least weigh out the options, okay? No one here's going to judge you." 

Fitzroy looked at the taller man in suprise. "How- how'd you know? Did Buckminster tell you?" He really shouldn't be so shocked, Buck wasn't the best at keeping his mouth shut. 

Leon shook his head. "No. I'm just... Observant." Fitzroy thanked Leon for his advice and his friend turned around, heading back to his own castle with the tiny flag in hand.

Buckminster returned to the castle soon enough and began to chase Leon in an attempt to secure his flag. Fitzroy watched the two of them run around with a smile. It was bittersweet, seeing the two soulmates have fun together. He looked down at his gloves and thought about Leon's words. He _did_ really want to mess around with the others, and maybe doing so would distract him enough... 

With one swift motion, Fitzroy took off his gloves and set them down on the towel. He caught a glimpse of a pale red, but looked away quickly enough to not see anything else. The man took a deep breath and stood before turning around to see Rainer smiling at him. 

"What?" Fitzroy said. He didn't like being patronized, and was worried that maybe she'd make a comment. Maybe he was being a bit insecure, but people congratulating him on his decisions always felt awkward to him. 

"Nothing!" Rainer replied with a shrug, her gaze turning away. Fitzroy gave her a suspicious look and she smiled at him sheepishly. "I was just going to ask if you wanted to join me and Leon's team?"

"NO WAY!" Fitzroy's attention turned to Buckminster, who came running up beside them. "Two against two! Fitzroy is going to help me with my sandcastle!" He slung his arm around Fitzroy's shoulder and pointed to himself. "Right, Fitz?" 

Fitzroy grinned dastardly. "Bold of either to you assume that I'm not, uh, creating my own kingdom! And it'll... Overthrow both of you! Haha!" 

Buckminster and Rainer both gasped in mock offense as Fitzroy faked a maniacal laugh.

\---

Fitzroy had planned on taking a shower to get the sand and salt out of his hair, but his exhaustion said otherwise. He stood at the side of his bed, staring down at it as he considered his options. If he got in it, he'd get sand in the sheets, but he didn't want to accidentally fall asleep in the bathroom. His mind was too tired for this, problem solving wasn't even a skill he had while wide awake.

Finally, Fitzroy decided to just suck it up and take his shower. Maybe if he used really hot water than he wasn't in danger of passing out... Did hot water make you less sleepy? That seemed likely enough. 

As Fitzroy tested the water with his hand, he saw the small imprint of the flower on his wrist. The spray from the shower head bounced against the deep red and Fitzroy looked away. Wait... what? He did a double take, looking directly at the daylily for the first time in a long, long time. 

Sure enough, his soulmark was in bloom once again, its rich maroon colors unfurling in bright petals with streaks of yellow that ran down them and pooled in the center like rivers of gold. Its petals were crisp and bold, as if it had never been sickly in the first place. 

Fitzroy's breath caught in his throat as stared in shocked silence at the daylily. Suddenly, a wave of relief crashed into him as years of worries gave way to reassurance. He practically collapsed onto the floor, gripping his wrist with his other hand. His smile turned into laughter which turned into crying. 

His soulmate was okay. They were fine and they were _happy_. It was all that Fitzroy needed to hear. He needed to know that they were alright, whoever they were, and here was a confirmation that they were. The single thought, _his soulmate was okay_ , created such a strong emotion in him, emotions he didn't even realize he was even capable of having anymore. He had gotten so used to that everlasting worry and fear in the back of his mind that now that it had been relinquished he didn't know what to do. 

So Fitzroy just sat there on the bathroom floor, exhausted and sandy and messy but so, so relieved. He didn't know how long he cried for, but by the time he composed himself and was done with washing up he felt more tired as he had ever been. He collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep as soon as he fell into the pillows. 

But when he woke, the daylily's newly shriveled, faded colors brought no comfort. Things were back to how they once were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just really like beach settings, okay?!
> 
> I have a goal to update this at least once a week but I'm not sure how long that will last? I won't abandon it, that's for sure at least, haha. 
> 
> Also, am I ever going to stop making Balance characters have cameos in my fics? No, I'm not. I thought to myself, "What TAZ character would make for a sweet but kind of sloppy roommate" and my brain immediately went, "JOHANN" so there he is. Also, yes, I coded Rainer's parents as Barry and Lup in the last chapter, because I CAN. Anyway, see you soon, and thanks for reading!


	3. Solitude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Argo goes to a graveyard. 
> 
> Fitzroy goes to a party.

To say that Argo had a lot on his plate would be an understatement. He was 20 now, and desperately trying to figure out his financial situation. Luckily, after the state stopped paying for his college education he managed to secure a separate scholarship from an organization that helped people like him and buy a run-down car by working two different jobs, both at the boardwalk at different times. His schedule was shit and he was always tired. He had too little time to go home in-between classes, since the campus was a ways away from his apartment building. Meanwhile, Argo's mental health was deteriorating from all of the stress and he found it hard to get through some of his classes without a breakdown and/or falling asleep. One of his teachers had actually noticed this and recommended that he get a therapist or a counselor, but he didn't have the money for that. 

Argo's nightly visits to the cemetery lessened a bit, but the only reason for that was because of the inconvenience. He would go there everyday if he could, but most nights he had to go home and do his homework. The weekends, however... Argo either spent his free time there or on the beach. The place where his mother was buried was a public place, so he technically allowed to visit it whenever he wanted. The woman working at the entrance counter always looked at him with concern. He had never really stopped to talk to her, which was a bit out of character for him but he didn't want her to ask questions. Sometimes he'd stay there after hours and have to leave and climb up the gate to get back in. No one ever seemed to notice until...

"Young man?" Argo opened his eyes to see the counter woman staring down at him. She was an older lady, most likely in her 60's or so. She wore a floral dress and a thin white coat over it. Her frizzy grey hair was tied in a bun with a pen stuck through it. "We're closed now, dear." 

"O- oh." Argo stood up, embarrassed to have been caught sleeping in a graveyard of all places. "Sorry, ma'am. I'll, uh, get going." He set his bouquet of flowers neatly on the grave beside him and began to walk away. But to his surprise, the woman did not follow. She stood by the headstone, reading its inscription quietly. Oh no. Here came the questions. 

"Its been four years?" Okay, so that was less of a question and more of a statement of confusion. Argo knew what she was referring to. She must have read the date of Shebrie's death. 

"Yeah," Argo sighed. He really, _really_ didn't want to discuss his personal issues with this total stranger. It felt bad enough thinking about it, so it would probably feel even worse to talk about it. He supposed he was being a bit hypocritical though; he was the one who came here every other day, the one who solidified his refusal to move on with each visit to this somber place. 

The old woman looked at Argo, her expression not of pity like he had expected, but of understanding. "'She was your mother, wasn't she? I knew I recognized you, from the funeral a few years back. It was a tragedy, what happened to her. You loved her very much." 

Ok, what was this lady's deal? Was she _trying_ to make him feel worse? "Yes, I did," Argo said. He began to step away from the old woman, desperate to get out of this conversation. "But its not really your b-"

"You need to talk with someone, young man. I am not the person to do so with. I know a woman, my daughter-" 

"No!" The woman looked up at Argo in surprise. Admittedly, Argo had even surprised himself with his shout. He took a deep breath and continued. "I- Thank you, for your sentiment, its very sweet but... I don't have the time, or the money. I don't want to talk to anyone about it because its _my_ problem, not theirs. And... And maybe I don't want to move on, okay? Maybe I don't want to forget her, because she's all I have, and-" Dangit, there he went. He took a deep breath again and looked back at the woman. "Just... No thank you. I'm fine, really."

The lady stared back at him and for a moment Argo was worried that she would yell at him for his rudeness. He guessed that he deserved it. But then she reached into the purse at her side and pulled out two small cards. She handed them to Argo and he read what they said. 

_Althea Song, Licensed Mental Health Counselor_ , read the first card in a neat, cursive font. The card was deep blue color, with a picture of some sort of beetle in the corner. This other card was less refined, with bright colors and a big font that said _Children's Storytelling Sessions: Help Wanted!_ Argo recognized the symbol of the library by his school in the corner. Both cards had an address written on the back of them. 

"I don't-" Argo looked up to see that the old woman was gone. He looked around, but could not see where she could have possibly gone. Huh. That was... odd. With a sigh, Argo shoved the cards into his back pocket and began to walk towards the front gates.

\---

Fitzroy didn't understand anything. Every time he looked down at the papers scattered across his desk, printed copies of academic papers that droned on about "Civil Procedure" and "Property Law", his brain turned to mush. The sentences were too long and wordy, like whoever wrote it was trying to meet a word count or make it as hard to understand as possible. Maybe he shouldn't have taken that gap year between high school and law school... His work ethic was practically nonexistent right now, he kept zoning out or getting distracted.

With a sigh, Fitzroy tried to focus on the current paper he was writing, but his eyes kept unfocusing stubbornly. Insecurities started to form in his head. Becoming a lawyer like his parents had been his dream for a long time but did he really want it or was he being pressured into it? Was he doing this because he was interested in it or because he had a family name to uphold? 

Fitzroy shook his head. No, stop it. His parents expected him to get through this, and it was the least he could do for them. He just had to focus on the end goal; how proud they would be of him once he achieved this. The thought of finally earning his parent's admiration brought a smile to his face, but one he quickly dispelled. He really should stop being so sappy and just get to work already.

Despite his despair, Fitzroy returned to taking notes of the readings before him, his eyes unfocusing stubbornly at certain points. He kept having to look up words and phrases in the dictionary, which made for tedious and dull work. After about a half an hour he had only gotten through the first two pages... Ugh, this was practically torture!

Suddenly, there came a buzzing sound as Fitzroy felt his phone vibrate in his hand. A text message from Rainer had come through! Alas, he was saved! 

_i'm doing something cool tomorrow if you want to come 👀_ the small bubble read. Uh oh. Fitzroy knew what she meant by that. 

_I'm not summoning the dead with you, Rainer, its too weird and creepy._ He hoped that didn't sound too rude, but it was the truth. Rainer's family's obsession with the macabre was... peculiar, to say the least. 

_> ://// _ Rainer simply replied. Fitzroy laughed quietly to himself at her _wonderful_ portrayal of emotion and began to type a reply. Before he could finish there was a sharp beeping sound as an alarm on his desk went off. Dangit, he needed to get ready or he'd miss the family party he was supposed to be going to. It was his aunt's birthday, and his parents would be upset with him if he was late. He didn't really want to come as his aunt wasn't one of his more kindly relatives, but he'd avoided her last party and knew she'd be offended if he did the same to this one. 

So Fitzroy told Rainer he had to go and pushed his work to the side. He changed into a nicer button-down shirt and a black vest and tie. For a moment, he considered going without his gloves... He hadn't been wearing them as often lately, in case he missed a moment where the flower bloomed again. But the thought of his family asking questions about it, frowning in pity at his predicament... It was enough to make him slip the silk back over his hands.

\---

Fitzroy really wished that Buckminster was here. His parents were friends of Fitzroy's, so it would've made sense, but it seemed that his aunt didn't invite them. Buckminster always seemed to fit in at parties, whether it one like this, fancy and stuck-up or someone's house party, loud and dizzying. He was charming after all and, as Rainer put it, "stubbornly extroverted". Usually Fitzroy would follow him around and things would go fine, but without someone to guide him he always felt a bit awkward.

Especially at his family's parties. The expectations were so high, Fitzroy didn't want to disappoint anyone but what if he said the wrong thing or made a ill advised comment? Maybe he should just stand in the corner and hope that no-one would try to-

"Fitzroy!" The loud yet stern voice of his aunt made him snap out of his thoughts. She walked towards him and gave him a hug, which he reciprocated. "Oh, its been a while since I saw you! You're late, you know, and- Oh! Your tie's a different shade than your suit, how embarrassing. But, uh, nonetheless, welcome dearie!" She gave him a kiss on the cheek. 

"Hello, Aunt Mavis. Its good to see you too," Fitzroy said with a fake smile. Were his clothes really different shades? Would it be rude to look down to confirm such an accusation? He shuffled his feet uncomfortably. 

His aunt didn't comment on his discomfort, but Fitzroy could have sworn her eyes sparkled with a certain smugness. "So, how's it been at the new school? You finished with that little silly drop-out year of yours?" 

Did Fitzroy remember Mavis being this awful? Was she insistent on making him feel terrible? Why was she being so... Oh, _oh_. She was mad at him for not attending her last party, so now she wanted to exact some rather passive aggressive revenge. Petty old thing. "Yes, the gap year was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of uh, school but now I'm proud to say that things are going quite well." Fitzroy held back the urge to add 'mind you'.

"Oh, modest, aren't we?" Aunt Mavis retaliated. She took a sip from her wine in triumph and Fitzroy began to become quite frustrated. There really was no winning with this woman, was there? What didn't she want for him, an apology? So everyone could laugh at his shame? Haha, fat chance!

With a long, drawn out motion, Fitzroy picked up a small cracker from the large plate beside him with a bored expression. Maybe she'd see that he was a drab source of entertainment and go bother someone else. "Yes, yes, fine party you have here, Aunt Mavis. What are these, they're very... "

"La Panzanella Croccantini," Mavis responded quickly. "And, you really shouldn't be eating them with gloves on, dear, you'll get them all dirty." Okay, so she wasn't going to back down then. _Fine_ , Fitzroy thought, _If she wants passive aggressive, then that's what she's getting._

Fitzroy finished eating the cracker and gave his aunt a smug look. "Oh, I don't think that'll be necessary. Besides, I have to wear because of, you know, germs and such. Better to get these things a bit crumby than get sick." Aunt Mavis frowned, and Fitzroy continued to smile at her, satisfied with his half-insult. 

Slowly, Aunt Mavis set down her glass of wine, laughing a bit. "Oh, Fitzroy, you needn't worry about that here, dearie. Germs? Ha! In all seriousness, please don't lie to me. Why do you wear those things, now really? Go on, you can tell your old Aunt Mavis the truth!" Okay, that was it. Fitzroy was tired of putting up with this, to hell with manners! If she wanted to be so pushy, so aggressive and petty, then fine! But he wasn't going to deal with it. He didn't want to be here in the first place anyway. 

"Its none of your business," Fitzroy snapped. His aunt made an offended expression, but he felt no pity as he turned away towards the door. 

"Fitzroy Maplecourt, come back here!" Aunt Mavis yelled behind him. Fitzroy felt triumphant at the frustration in her voice, but deep down he knew that this was probably a mistake. He was drawing attention to himself, storming off like this. God, his parents would be so upset with him... 

As the cold night air hit his face, Fitzroy took a deep breath. The smells of expensive perfumes left him, replaced with the scent of an approaching storm. The sounds of the party gave way to those of crickets and the rustling of wind in the trees. If not for the scene behind him, Fitzroy might have felt at peace. He walked down the street and got in his car. He sat there quietly for a while, regret piling his head. Then Fitzroy drove off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha, sorry that this chapter is a bit late! The next chapter should be easier to write, since I have it better planned. Thank you for your patience!


	4. Helpful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Argo does some volunteer work.
> 
> Fitzroy promises to help out a friend.

Argo was bored out of his mind. He'd already finished his homework assignments for the week and now he was waiting for his next class to start. The campus was too far away from his apartment for him to go back without missing his class, so once his work was all finished he practically had nothing to do. He considered getting something to eat but he really wasn't all that hungry.

Finally, Argo decided to head towards the public library that was about a ten minute walk from campus. As he walked, he remembered something. He took a small card out his pocket and read the times on it. Huh. One of the open times for the children's storytelling fit his schedule. Part of Argo didn't want to go, just out of spite for how pushy the old woman who had given it to him had been. But he really had nothing better too do, so he might as well give it a shot.

The library was two stories, with pre-teen and children's books on the first floor among a study center, and adult content on the second floor with the quiet spaces. Argo had always admired the atmosphere of a library. It's sense of peace wasn't comparable to that was the sea, but it was something along those lines. The kid's area was colored brightly, with a cardboard cut-out of some cat in overalls that Argo assumed was from a popular picture book. Argo himself had always been one for spoken stories, those told through mouth instead of page, but still he found comfort in knowing that he was surrounded by the creativity of others. 

There was a young man around Argo's age manning the desk. He held a book in one hand, which Argo supposed was fitting for a librarian, and his dark brown hair fell into his eyes slightly. Argo stood awkwardly at the counter for a bit, not wanting to pull the man out of his book, which he seemed to be pretty engrossed in. Finally, he realized that the librarian must have not seen he was there at all. 

"Excuse me?" Argo said tentatively. The man looked up at him with a bored expression and set down his novel with a sigh. 

"Yeah?" 

Argo clicked his fingers against the counter of the desk as he spoke, letting their rhythmic taping calm his nerves just a bit. "I'm here to, apply, I guess? For the children's reading. I'm usually free around this time and stuff so I thought 'hey might be fun' ya' know?" He laughed, realizing how strange his reasoning was. He had never worked with kids before at all, and the only storytelling experience he had was from when he and Shebrie used to read to eachother. 

"Okay, cool. One sec," Then the librarian nearly spun out of sight as his chair with wheels flew to the other side of the room, where Argo could see a door which lead to what he assumed to be some sort of office. After about a minute of Argo standing there by himself, silently reading the fliers plastered onto a nearby cork board, the man came back with a small piece of paper. "K, so, this is like the thing you gotta fill out just to let us know you're not, I dunno, like a weirdo or something." He slid the paper to Argo, who began to read it. The form was fairly simple, and he figured that he could just fill it out right now.

So Argo found a nice quiet spot to sit down and began to fill the thing out. It wasn't hard, just a few questions about his name and where he worked and what times he'd be available. Once he had finished he began to walk back to the counter but was met with a different face working there. This librarian was much taller than the other, with a large sunhat and number of earrings on one ear.

"Hey, uh, here's the form that your friend gave me, the one for the children's readings?" Argo handed the slip to the person, who smiled at him as they took it. 

"Oh, I'm glad you're willing to volunteer! The kids 'round here love the live readings but our last guy moved away... It means a lot to them, and to us too. I'm Izbar, but you can call me Izzie." Argo shook Izzie's hand, which was surprisingly soft. It was comforting to know that the people he'd be working with were happy to have him there. 

"Thanks, Izzie. I look forward to working with ya'... If I get accepted that is," Argo said with a grin. Izzie smiled and wished him a safe trip back home. And as Argo left, he felt just a little bit better than usual.

\---

A lot of the kids that came to Argo's reading were the same ones that came each week. He'd even begun to read a whole series of books, and the kids would come to see how the story progressed. It actually felt really nice to have something outside of his personal life to do, and just seeing the awed expressions of his listeners made Argo feel amazing.

Right now, he was finishing up the 3rd book in the Enchanted Treefort series. The protagonists, James and Anna, had just made it back home from a dangerous escapade in ancient Egypt. Although this adventure had been fun, Argo was excited to be done with it since the next one was about pirates, which, of course, was right up his alley. 

As Argo said the closing lines of the story, he smiled down at the captivated young faces before him. "The End," he announced, to several of the kids' dismay. "What'd everyone think of that one?" Argo asked. He liked hearing the opinions of his listeners because it helped him get to know each one of them better. Or, at least the ones that came weekly. 

A hand shot up in the air as a boy on an orange cushion eagerly waited to be called on. Argo nodded towards Ayden's direction, but he was already beginning to speak. "I liked the part with the cat, I think it was sent by M. Like the bookmark and the medal thingie!" 

"Yeah, 'cause M is magic and so is the cat and maybe M was trying to help James and Anna," Lilly added on. Argo watched as the listeners began to debate and make up their own theories about the book. Seeing these kids talk about something that Argo had shared with them, something that had inspired their own creativity and ideas... It made him feel proud, like he had done something to help them be more comfortable with themselves, even if it was something as small as reading a short story. 

There was a buzzing sound as Argo's phone went off in his bag. That was be his alarm, letting him know that he needed to wrap things up and start heading back if he wanted to be on-time for his next class. "Alright everyone, that's all the time we have for today! I hope to see ya' next week!" With a few complaints and 'awww's, Argo wished each kid a safe trip home and made sure they were safely with their guardian. 

The last kid to go was Ayden, who gave Argo a hug goodbye. "See you Mr. Keene! I'm gonna draw Anna when I get home and then I'm going to come and show you, okay?!" Argo laughed and patted Ayden on the head. 

"That sounds amazing, kid. I can't wait to see it. Now, go on to your sister there, don't keep her waiting." Argo waved goodbye as Ayden headed over to his big sister, who gave him a nod and thanked him. Argo said farewell to her too and gathered his things. 

As Argo made his way back to his college campus, he found himself humming a tune and tracing the snapdragons on his arms with one finger. He'd been paying more attention to his soulmark recently, thinking about what his soulmate might be like. When he was little, Argo used to draw what he thought he'd look like. Of course, the legendary pirate captain of his childhood dreams was hardly his expectation now, but the memory made him laugh.

\---

"Hey what'd you get Leon for his birthday?" Rainer asked. Fitzroy was sitting at his desk with his phone's speaker on. He was _trying_ to study, but his brain had other plans and decided that if he didn't talk to someone Right Now, he was going to have a breakdown. So he'd called Rainer under the cover that he was just bored.

"Some new hiking boots and a backpack too. I know he and Buck go to that one place up by the river sometimes but I don't think he has any proper gear yet so I went to the sports store by my house and got him some." Fitzroy replied. He spun his pencil around in one hand as he spoke, trying to ignore the papers and sticky-notes full of due dates all over his desk. 

Rainer was quiet for a bit. Fitzroy assumed she was doing something else while they talked, since he had called her so abruptly. "Cool! I had Magnus make him this really cool wooden hawk because, you know, that's his favorite animal and stuff." Magnus was one of Rainer's family friends, right? Was he the buff one or the short one, Fitzroy couldn't always remember... 

Despite his confusion, Fitzroy didn't say anything on the matter. "Oh cool, cool."

"Oh hey! While we're talking could you do me a little favor?" Rainer asked. Fitzroy gave his phone a suspicious look. 

"It doesn't have anything to do with ghosts, does it?" He said skeptically. He knew that was probably not the case but you never could be too careful with Rainer. 

Rainer sighed dramatically. "Unfortunately, no. Its much more boring than that. I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and I need someone to pick Ayden up from the library over by Westerman's School of Arts, right? All you need to do is drop over there by 3:00 and bring him to my house. Is that alright with you? Its fine if you can't, I can get Buck to do it or something..." 

Fitzroy glanced at his calendar, which was empty if you ignored all the school related issues. "Yeah, I can do that. What's the little guy doing over there anyway, becoming a scholar?" 

"You could say," laughed Rainer. "He goes to these readings of kid's books, they're actually pretty cool. The guy who does them is pretty sweet, he gets very into character. Its fun to watch for a little bit. Ayden literally won't stop talking about how cool he is, anyway. I think his name's Argo? He'll watch over Ayden until you get there, don't worry. I already told him someone else was gonna come pick him up." 

Fitzroy chuckled. "Wait, the guy's name is Argo? What kind of name is that?" 

"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. _Maplecourt_ , is his name not sophisticated enough for you? At least its cool and has a mythological element to it, dear 'son of king'" Rainer retaliated. Fitzroy gasped in offense. 

"You're one to judge, Rainer Michele Tacco-Bluejeans," Fitzroy giggled. Why did almost everyone he knew have an absurd name? Would it really be such a crime for him to meet a few Jeffs and Emilys? Still, Fitzroy wouldn't trade his friends for the world, despite their unusual callings. 

Rainer scoffed. "Hey, you're the one who started this. Anyway, you can do it?" Fitzroy nodded, then realized Rainer couldn't see him. 

"Yeah, I can do it," Fitzroy said. It would be a nice distraction from school, and at least Ayden was fun. Although Fitzroy didn't like little kids (he found them tiring and more often than not, quite sticky) he had a soft spot for the little chatterbox. "Listening to dinosaur facts for thirty minutes straight shouldn't be too hard of a job for me to handle." 

"Great, thanks a bajillion Fitz!" Rainer piped up. Fitzroy smiled. It felt nice to do something good for someone he cared about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess Sundays are my update says now huh? Anyway, very excited for this next chapter! Also, two Argo bits this time yayyy! I might not keep to the 3 section structure the whole time though... 
> 
> Also thank you for all the nice comments I haven't had time to reply to them all but I really do appreciate it thank y'all so much!!!
> 
> ((Me, adding Mason and Izbar into this since I was blanking on extras: Ocs can have a little happiness, as a treat.))


	5. Awestruck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fitzroy goes to the library.
> 
> Argo goes to the library.

The drive to Westerman's wasn't a particularly long one, but the traffic on that side of the city was usually abundant. It was downtown afterall, which was Fitzroy's favorite place to be. All the lights, the towering buildings and crowds... It might be silly, but it made him feel like he was a movie star in the big city. (Fitzroy shook the fanciful thoughts out of his head, embarrassed by even having them. Dreams of becoming some sort of actor or model were fine when he was little, but he was older now. He had a future to think about. A family name to carry...) 

So in order to avoid being late, Fitzroy left his house around 2:30. However, traffic wasn't as bad as he had originally thought and he ended up being early. No harm, no foul, he supposed, but it was a bit inconvenient. Fitzroy had never been one for literature and he never really got what was so special about libraries. This one seemed fairly nice, though, with its attention to aesthetics and homey atmosphere. 

"Can I help you with anything?" A young woman in a pink bomber jacket asked him, peeking over her stack of books in order to meet his gaze. Fitzroy assumed that he must've looked a little bit lost in the big buidling. 

"No," Fitzroy said instinctively. "Wait, um, do you perhaps know where the children's thing is? The reading?" He was a bit embarrassed to have backtracked, but at first it hadn't occurred to him that he had never been here and didn't know how to navigate the large area. 

The woman nodded and sort of hopped a bit, resting her books one leg while still holding them with with one hand. She pointed towards a corner near a cardboard cut-out of a cat. "Over there, by the big blue sign." Her books teetered dangerously on her leg, and Fitzroy stepped forward in case he had to catch them. But then the woman properly shifted them back to their original position with ease. 

Fitzroy thanked her and she told him to come to her if he needed any more assistance. He headed towards where the woman had directed him, and soon came to an area in the back. There was a rocking chair in the middle, surrounded by different colored pillows. Each pillow had a small child sitting on it, looking intently up at the figure in the rocking chair. There was a small whiteboard in the corner, with a picture of some sort of treehouse and a pirate, along with the title of the book being read. But none of that was what drew Fitzroy's attention. 

The man in the rocking chair had brown skin and dark freckles that peppered his face and arms. His dark wavy hair was pulled into a ponytail, and Fitzroy could swear the tips were dyed a faint shade of dark blue. He was wearing a striped tank top that showed off his arms, which were decorated with wild snapdragons. His eyes lit up as he spoke, lined with excitement and eyeliner. He also happened to have a stupidly cute mustache. 

Fitzroy found himself staring, and he shook his head. He dismissed the thoughts of how handsome the guy was, rationalizing that he felt that way just because he had a snapdragon soulmark. To be honest, Fitzroy always got a little bit hopeful around people who had those flowers, since he knew they were his favorite. But unfortunately, snapdragons were a pretty popular flower and a lot of people had them as their soulmark.

Still, Fitzroy had nothing better to do than listen to the story. He leaned against a book shelf, listening to, who assumed to be Argo, recite the tale dramatically. Fitzroy supposed he could've done something else, maybe explored the library or pull out his phone, but he was intrigued. His parents had never brought him to the library as a kid, despite wanting him to be an academic... They never really brought him anywhere, come to think of it... But that was alright, they were busy people and Fitzroy was just fine without them. 

Half hiding behind the stack of books, Fitzroy watched as Argo read to his listeners. He was so expressive, with a different voice for each character. Fitzroy laughed at his over-the-top pirate impression, and quickly covered his mouth as to not be heard. It took a few moments for him to realize that Argo wasn't actually doing a voice for the narrator and he really did have an accent. It was a charming one to say the least, and Fitzroy found it kind of cute- in an annoying, loud sort of way of- of course! 

Finally, Argo came to what seemed to be the end of the chapter, leaving it at a cliffhanger as the protagonists were held hostage by pirates. A number of the kids complained about that, and Fitzroy found that he was a little bummed out too (although he would never admit it). Argo gave the kids a sympathetic expression, but the glint in his eyes gave away that he was not sorry for the drama of it all. 

Fitzroy realized that he should probably grab Ayden now, but Argo continued to speak. Apparently the kids discussed what they had read, like a sort of circle time, so Fitzroy had a few moments to himself. He pulled out his phone and began to text Rainer. 

_I'm at the library now, they're almost finished_ , he wrote, just to let her know that Ayden was with him. 

Fitzroy looked up to see each of the kids walking back to their parents, wishing each other and their storyteller goodbye. Ayden himself was talking with Argo, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he spoke excitedly. 

"So Uncle Magnus said he'd make a sword for me and he's gonna carve a skull in it and its gonna be super cool and then I'll be a pirate but like a good one!" Ayden rambled, with Argo listening intently. As Fitzroy headed over, the two of them noticed. Argo gave him a confused look for a moment, as if trying to determine who he was and why he was here. Rainer had told him he was coming, right? 

"Fitzroy!" Ayden shouted, running up to his sister's friend and giving him a hug. "Did you hear about my pirate sword?" 

"Ha, yes, yes I did," Fitzroy said, tentatively patting the little guy on the back. He looked up at Argo, who seemed to make the connection. 

"You're Rainer's friend right?" Argo asked. His face was closer now than it had been, and Fitzroy could see that he was wearing blue eyeshadow. Fitzroy had always admired guys who were confident enough to wear makeup. He'd never really been comfortable enough to try it for himself. Plus, it was really pretty, and his freckles were so cute and his mustache was dumb but in a charming sort of way-

Fitzroy realized that he was just staring blankly at Argo and blushed in embarrassment. God, how many times was he going to make a fool of himself today? "Y- Yes", he cleared his throat. "I am Rainer's friend, Fitzroy Maplecourt." 

Argo smiled widely. "Well, nice to meet ya Fitzroy Applesyrup! Argonaut Keene here, at yer service." 

"That's not my-" Fitzroy stopped, catching a glimpse of movement along Argo's arms. His wrist began to itch as he watched the snapdragon tattoos part, making way for... 

"What?" Argo asked. But Fitzroy just stared at his arms, where daylillies sprouted underneath the petals of snapdragons.

\---

Argo was so invested in the story he was reading that he almost didn't notice the extra listener. But once he was finished with the chapter, he looked around and finally spotted the eavesdropper. Usually parents or guardians of the kids he read to sat on the benches nearby, but this one was leaning against one of the bookshelves, almost hidden. Argo's first reaction was suspicion, but that's just what happens when you're an orphan and you live on the not-so-great side of town. You learn to look out for yourself, and for those you care about. And goddammit, Argo sure as hell cared about the kids that came to his readings.

Nothing about the stranger seemed particularly sinister though. He was checking his phone nonchalantly now, and Argo shrugged. He'd deal with it in a minute. 

"I don't think the parrot is evil, I think the parrot is a good thing," one of the kids argued as Argo tuned back into the conversation. He smiled fondly as they discussed the moral dilemma of whether the talking bird in the book was ill-intentioned. Argo drifted apart from the conversation again slowly, turning his gaze to the stranger, who was still looking at his phone expectantly. 

He had sideswept blonde hair and a warm olive skin tone. He wore a dark red coat over his white shirt and he looked almost stiff, like he was anticipating something. He was fairly short, but his wider frame made up for that. He was also pretty hot. Argo subconsciously wondered if he'd met his soulmate yet. _No, Argo,_ he silently chastised himself, _stop fawning over random strangers you're supposed to be doing your work! Now pay attention!_

There came a familiar buzzing sound and Argo announced that it was time to start heading out. He said goodbye to the kids one by one and thanked them all for coming. High fives were given and so were hugs. Ayden was the last to go yet again. Argo would never admit to having a favorite but... Looking at the little ball of energy that was Ayden was like staring into a mirror of his younger self (before things got, well, complicated). 

Ayden was telling Argo all about a sword that one of his "uncles" (How many aunts and uncles did this kid have? It seemed like everyday a new one came up) was making him when the stranger from before approached them. Argo looked up, giving him a puzzled expression. Then Ayden noticed him and ran up to him, to Argo's temporary horror. 

"Fitzroy!" Ayden exclaimed, hugging the man. Argo almost sighed in relief. Okay, so they knew each other, the child he was supposed to be looking after wasn't running up to a complete stranger after all. It took a moment for Argo to process that this was the friend that Ayden's sister had mentioned. Funny, he'd expected a friend of Rainer to be less... Fancy? That didn't seem like a fair assumption, and for that he felt guilty. Still, just in case...

"You're Rainer's friend, right?" Argo asked. The stranger- or apparently Fitzroy- seemed caught off guard and Argo wondered why. There was an awkward pause for a bit, not that Argo minded. 

Finally, Fitzroy responded. "Yes," he stated matter-of-factly. "I am Rainer's friend Fitzroy Maplecourt." 

"Well nice to meet ya Fitzroy Applesyrup!" Argo felt a bit bad for teasing this guy about his name, but it was all in good fun. He offered up his own full name in compromise. "Argonaut Keene here, at yer service!" He resisted the urge to give a little bow, assuming that'd just be too much. 

Rather suddenly, Argo's arms began to itch, but in a weird sort of tingly way, like when you get a shiver down your spin. Argo ignored it stubbornly.

Fitzroy gave him a disgruntled look. "That's not my-" He trailed off, his gaze shifting suddenly, eyes wide. 

"What-?" Argo inquired, looking at the spot on his arms where Fitzroy was staring. The shivering feeling grew as he watched his soulmark shift and new blossoms sprout among the pink and orange snapdragons. They were a dark red color, with gold accents. Argo recognized them as the type of flower that grew along the beach, the ones his mother used to pick and bring home for him. He tried desperately to recollect what they were calling, but the memory escaped him. 

Mesmerized by the movement along his skin, Argo began to process just what was happening; what it meant. He looked back at Fitzroy, who was staring at his own wrist now. Fitzroy looked back at Argo, and their eyes meant, brown against hazel. 

"Holy shit," Fitzroy murmured. He laughed, his smile crinkling his eyes as he did so. "Okay! Okay then, um- I guess this mean you're my..." He drew in a breath, eyes still locked on Argo's. They were a beautiful dark brown, and Argo found himself smiling too, still trying to process things. "You're my soulmate." 

"Y-" Argo began, but he was interrupted by two things. 

"You swore!" Ayden gasped at the same time Argo's phone buzzed again. He'd be late for class but he didn't care. Well, actually, he did care, he paid money for those but... 

He was right here! Fitzroy was Argo's soulmate and he was standing right in front of him. Argo couldn't even comprehend it, he just stood there with a giddy smile on his face. His soulmate was right here and he was looking him in the eyes and he was so handsome and he had a weird name like Argo did and he was looking at him like he had just struck gold and- 

Argo's phone buzzed again and he silently cursed fate. He was supposed to be presenting a project today, he couldn't just not go to class... He wanted to skip so badly though, ugh! Instead, Argo pulled a pen out of his pocket. 

"Do you have a piece of paper?" he asked Fitzroy, who was basically frozen to the spot. The awestruck look in his eyes made Argo's heart skip a beat. God, he couldn't wait to get to know him. Stupid school, stupid timings, stupid fate!

"Uh- um- no I don't, um," Fitzroy looked around frantically, and Argo began to get a bit anxious. He could still make it to class on time if he ran but he needed to make this quick. Impulse came over him and Argo grabbed Fitzroy's wrist. His soulmate gasped a bit in shock, and Argo cursed himself for his suddenness. 

Quickly, Argo scrawled his phone number onto the back of Fitzroy's hand. His skin was soft and warm but, despite desperately wanting too, Argo could not savor the feeling. Though, before he let go he took just a second to admire the soulmark that Fitzroy had. A single daylily was on his wrist, and around it curled smaller snapdragons, like a family crest. Argo finally let go, and Fitzroy just stared at him in shock. 

"I am so, _so_ sorry but I'm going to get yelled out if I miss this class, I gotta go. Text me okay? We'll meet up!" All Fitzroy could do was nod, possibly in disbelief, and Argo smiled at him. Then he grabbed his backpack and ran out the library. 

"Sorry! Bye!" Argo called over his shoulder as he exited the building. As he sprinted towards college campus, he couldn't help but feel like he might die from embarrassment. Everything in Argo wanted to stop, turn back and talk to his soulmate. He wanted to get to know Fitzroy so badly, he wanted to know everything about him. He wanted to touch his hand again but not in a hurry like he had been. He knew he would eventually, but Argo wasn't one for patience. 

He better get a really fucking good grade on his color theory presentation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayyyyy we're finally here! Now comes the fun part! Idiots in love! :DDD  
> Also thank you all for the sweet comments they really make my day I love you all sm <33333
> 
> (Fitzroy, kicking down the door: Rainer, HOLY FUCK)


	6. Anticipation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of text messages.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are now 30 fics on the Maplekeene tag y'all, I'm so proud of us

_"Rainer, you will not believe what just fucking happened oh my goooooood,"_ read the text from Fitzroy. Rainer frowned in concern. She was sitting outside the doctor's office, having just finished her appointment. She doubted that anything too drastic had happened, as Fitzroy did tend to more on the dramatic side. Still, as an older sister she couldn't help but worry. 

_"is ayden okay?"_

_"Oh yes, he's fine. He heard me say 'shit' though, sorry."_ Rainer laughed at that. Despite her father's best efforts, Ayden always seemed to end up overhearing people curse. 

_"its alright. what happened?"_ Now that Rainer knew that Ayden was okay, she was more curious than concerned. She put her phone back in her purse and started to head towards her car. Once Rainer had herself and her chair in the car, her phone buzzed again. 

Fitzroy had sent an image this time, a shaky picture that Rainer assumed he had just taken. It was a photo of the soulmark on his wrist, but Rainer did a double take, realizing that there was something new about it. Sure enough, on either side of the daylily unfurled four smaller, new flowers of pink and orange hues. They were snapdragons, Rainer assumed. A wide grin spread across her face and she squealed in excitement. 

_"OH MY GOOOOD DID YOU FIND YOUR SOULMATE FJHKGJHJKGHKJDHKHLK"_

_"YEAH APPARENTLY,"_ Fitzroy replied. Rainer looked back at the picture, examining the petals of the snapdragons. She could've sworn she'd seen ones just like those somewhere... Rainer smiled devilishly, having just put two and two together. 

_"OH MY GOD ITS ARGO ISNT IT?!!??!?!"_ Rainer demanded as she remembered the flowers on the storyteller's arms. She relished the fact that she had been the one to send Fitzroy to the library in the first place, the one who'd helped him find his soulmate. She'd tease him about it later for sure, maybe use it as a way to get a free ice cream or favor but right now wasn't the time. Besides, she was still waiting on his confirmation. 

Speaking of... _"YEah."_

 _"you are legally obligated to tell me everything Right Now"._

_"I mean, there's not really much to say it was kind of a brief interaction."_ Rainer scrunched her face up in confusion. Did Fitzroy leave for some reason? Maybe he panicked and ran out, but that didn't seem likely, based on how much her friend had wanted to meet his soulmate. She hoped that he hadn't left because he felt obligated to bring Ayden home as soon as possible. 

_"wdym?"_

_"He had to go to a class right after."_ God, that must've been rough. "Hey here's the person you're destined to fall in love with, they gotta go now say goodbye!" 

_"awwww bummer :( did u at least get his number or smth?"_

_"Yeah."_ The little chat bubble in the corner of the screen showed that Fitzroy was writing another message. It stopped and Rainer waited for a new text for a little while before shrugging and writing her own.

 _"Have you talked to him yet?"_ Rainer asked. She assumed the answer was yes, just based on the way Fitzroy-

 _"No......."_

_"NO?!"_

The bubble popped up, then went away and came back again. Rainer chuckled at Fitzroy's indecisiveness. _"Im sorryyyy! I just don't know what to say :("_

Rainer scoffed. _"well you have to say something! just ask him to a date or something its not that difficult once you just start going"._

It took a minute for the next text to arrive, and Rainer started her car up before her phone buzzed again. _"What if he doesn't reply?"_

_"hes not gonna ghost you hes ur soulmate silly just text him,"_ Rainer replied in reassurance. She hoped that Fitzroy's anxiety didn't get the best of him and he talked to Argo soon. 

_"Yeah, you're right. Thank you, Rainer. I will keep you updated."_

Rainer smiled fondly. _"anytime fitz, luv u"_

\---

Fitzroy stared at the contact he had added to his phone, one thumb hovering over the blue "message" button. Why was this so hard to do? All he had to do was say "hey" or "is this Argo" but he was frozen. Maybe it was the shock, the disbelief he felt due to the events of today. He still hadn't been able to process it all. He had met his soulmate and he had his number and he was okay and... surprisingly cheery!

Argo certainly wasn't what Fitzroy had expected. It was hard to picture him without an eccentric smile on his face, let alone going through a period of two _years_ where he felt bad all day. It seemed stupid now, but Fitzroy had never considered what he'd actually do with that information once he found his soulmate. Should he just ask him if he was alright? That didn't seem right... Argo had been having more good days recently... God, it was all so strange and new. 

With a burst of determination, Fitzroy loaded up the message screen. That's about as far as he got before overthinking his choice of words. Was hello too simple? What if he asked if this was Argo and they said no? What if the writing on his hand had smudged and he had the wrong number? Was that a four or a nine? 

Fitzroy took a deep breath and took a red pen out from behind his ear. It was Argo's pen, the one he had used to write on Fitzroy's hand. Argo had put it in his hand once he was done, and Fitzroy wondered if he'd even noticed he did it. Maybe he did and it served as a silent promise that they'd meet again... Or maybe Argo had just shoved it to him absentmindedly. It was a shitty pen, made of clear plastic with a long red cap that had a broken clasp. 

Fitzroy overturned the pen in his hand, staring at it quietly as he pouted on the couch. His memories drifted away from the pen itself and to the sensation of Argo's hand against his as he wrote on it hastily. The writing part had kind of hurt but Fitzroy hadn't said anything in fear that Argo would move away. He felt pathetic, clinging onto that small bit of contact and a bad pen, but it was all he had right now. 

And a number. Fitzroy took a deep breath and picked his phone back up. 

_"Hey, is this Argo? Its Fitzroy"_. He originally had added a little smily face at the end but had quickly deleted it.

Fitzroy found himself chewing on the end of Argo's pen; yet another nasty habit that'd he'd been trying desperately to get rid of for quite sometime. "Shit," he murmured. There was a small indent in the plastic cap where he'd bitten down on it. Fitzroy had been planning on returning the pen to Argo once they met up but now it would be awkward. "Yeah here's the pen you gave me sorry I chewed on it while thinking about you because I'm a mess," Fitzroy mocked himself. Whatever, it was a small mark and he doubted Argo would notice. 

After a minute of what was practically torture, Fitzroy's phone finally buzzed with a reply. _"Yeah! :D"_ , the green message read. Fitzroy exhaled and smile spread across his face. 

But now he faced yet another dilalema. What to say next? Was he supposed to just jump right into setting up a date or...? Fitzroy sat there, pondering his options when another text came through. 

_"Sorry about rushing off earlier I had a presentation to do in class,"_ Argo had wrote.

 _"Its fine."_ To be truthful, it hadn't really been fine but that wasn't Argo's fault. If Fitzroy had been in Argo's place he would've... Well, he would've skipped class in a heartbeat actually, but he wasn't the most responsible example. Fitzroy decided his answer might be seen as too curt so he added, _"What class was it?"_ He supposed that wasn't _too_ personal of a question... Or was it? 

_"Color theory for design,"_ Argo said. Fitzroy's mind quietly made note of how Argo hadn't properly capitalized the sentence. Whatever, at least he wasn't as bad as Rainer, who refused to use capitals for anything but empathsis. 

_"Oh nice, what are you studying?"_ Fitzroy smiled, noticing how this conversation was getting easier as it continued. He was grateful for Argo's openness, as conversations seemed to be a lot less difficult the more extroverted the other person was. With a hum, Fitzroy contemplated how lucky he was to have someone like that as a soulmate. 'You don't deserve it,' hissed a voice in his head that he desperately tried to ignore.

 _"Fashion! I want to be a designer eventually it's been my dream for along time,"_ Argo replied, _"Do you study anything? "_

Fitzroy types the correct answer, which was law of course, but then he erased it for some reason. Wait, why had he done that? That was the right thing to say! He shoved his hesitation down and rewrote and sent the message. 

Argo wrote back quickly. _"Nice! So I assume your school runs on a normal weekday schedule? "_ Admittedly, Fitzroy was caught a bit off guard for a second. He wondered why Argo wanted to know such a thing but eventually came to the conclusion that he needed times that Fitzroy was available so they could set up a date. Right. They were doing this now. 

_"Yes. I am available on weekends and after classes around 3:00 pm,"_ Fitzroy responded dutifully. Honestly he'd meet up with Argo no matter what arrangements he already had planned but he didn't want Argo to think he was irresponsible - even if that was true to a point.

_"Okie! How about we meet up Friday afternoon?"_

\---

Argo walked into his dorm as he sent another text. He looked up to the familiar sight of Johann, who was standing near the window with his violin. The mute was attached to the instrument so that the neighbors wouldn't be bothered but the sound coming from it was still as crisp and beautiful as ever.

Once Johann was finished with his piece he took notice of Argo, who clapped for his roommate cheerfully. "Bravo!" Argo said, and he meant it. Johann was extremely talented. 

"Thank- hey, whoa," Johann's eyes widened, which was pretty much the limit of his expressions when he wasn't playing. "Did you meet your soulmate 'cause I'm pretty sure those ones weren't there before...?" He gestures to the newest flowers on Argo's arms.

"Ay, I did! He was at the library picking up one of the kids at my readings," Argo replied he put his arms out before him, admiring the patterns. He still need to look up what type of flowers they were, but he already loved them. Argo smiled but then his phone buzzed, pulling him out of his dazed state. 

Johann noticed this and picked his violin back up. "Cool man, good for you." Argo wished him luck with his practice and Johann nodded before continuing to play. 

The newest message on Argo's phone was from Fitzroy of course. _"That works for me. Where should the location be?"_ it said. Argo laughed a bit at the almost excessive formality. He never really understood nor cared for prim and proper etiquette himself, so he hoped he wasn't being offensive. Argo wasn't ashamed of his social status, so he really didn't see the point in pretending he was something he wasn't. 

Argo stopped for a moment, considering his options. Going to a park or a walk would be his best bet, as he couldn't really afford any fancy restaurants at the moment and didn't want to burden Fitzroy with any bills that might come out of that. Did Fitzroy even like parks? He didn't seem like the type. Maybe a movie? Ugh, no, Argo had always disliked the idea of having your first date be somewhere where you couldn't talk to each other. Okay, so no restaurants, no walks, no movies... 

_"How bout a cafe of some sort, they shouldn't be too busy around that time?"_ Argo finally compromised. He threw himself onto his bed, holding his phone out in front of him. Johann's melody could be heard softly through the thin walls and Argo hummed along quietly. He had never realized how giddy he'd been feeling all day until now. Just staring at the little conversation he was having with Fitzroy- his _soulmate_ \- made him grin.

Fitzroy responded, _"There's a cafe by the library you work at actually, Chai Blossoms I think its called?"_ Argo began to type when another text came through. _"Its kind of cheesy though haha."_ Argo shrugged. He was a romantic after all, what most called cheesy he called sweet. He looked up this Chai Blossoms place quickly (making note of the prices of his favorite treats) and it seemed like a lovely little place. 

_"Sounds perfect!"_ Argo wrote. He yawned and looked over at the clock by his bed. It was only 5:00 but he was already tired. Maybe that came from all the adrenaline today. He smiled, replaying the events of the day over in his head. It was hard to believe that he'd finally found his soulmate, but it was slowly sinking it. Argo hugged one of the pillows on his bed, grinning into it. 

Meanwhile, in a completely different home, sat a disgruntled man and a pen that was looking worse and worse as the conversation progressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never really written so much texting I hope you can tell what's going on haha. Also early update because I am yearning this week yaaaall. From here on out we get a LOT more Fitzroy and Argo interactions and I am v excited for that. 
> 
> (Me, projecting onto Argo: You can have my romanticism, my creativity and love for art, my extroversion, my need for friendships with others and my ADD  
> Me, projecting onto Fitzroy: Uh, you can anxiety and chewing on stuff)
> 
> ((Also I did a bunch of research for Rainer's modified car but didn't end using any of it rip to me I guess))


	7. Charmed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First date time, baby!

Argo was the first to arrive at Chai Blossoms. He was early by about ten minutes since the quaint little cafe was close to his school. It was a cute place to say the least, with a very homey aesthetic. As predicted, there weren't many other costumers at the time. The woman who was working at the counter looked up at him but when she saw he wasn't heading towards her she looked back down at her phone. 

The seat that Argo chose was by the window, a small yet high table for too. The tall wooden chairs were surprisingly comfortable, thanks to the red cushions set on top of them. Argo sat down and looked out the window, absentmindedly swinging his legs back and forth. No sign of Fitzroy yet, but that was alright. 

Argo took in the decorations of Chai Blossoms. He'd never been here before, as he wasn't one for coffee. The color scheme was mostly brown and cream, with honey yellow and red accents. There was a small cork-board on one wall, displaying a picture of some sort of iced tea among other advertisements. There was a small candle on the front counter that had a vanilla bean scent. Interior design had never been Argo's area of expertise but that didn't mean he didn't have an appreciation for it. 

Argo turned his attention back to the window, propping his face up with his palms. Soon he spotted a blonde man in long dark boots walking across the street towards him. A wide smile spread across Argo's face as he waved enthusiastically to Fitzroy. Fitzroy caught sight of Argo from right outside the window and smiled softly at him before giving a smaller wave in return. 

Fitzroy entered the coffee shop and sat across from Argo. "Hey," he said. "Sorry I'm late, whenever there's a day I plan for traffic it's never there but the one day I don't the streets are going bonkers, you know?" Fitzroy rambled. He sat with his hands in his lap, laughing a bit nervously. 

"You're not late," Argo reassured him. "I'm just early 's all." Argo crossed his legs to that Fitzroy had more space for his own under the small table and put on hand down on the wooden surface, still propping his face up with one palm. Argo didn't notice the way he leaned in closer as he shifted his position, but Fitzroy did. 

"Ah. I uh, I suppose," Fitzroy said. Argo could tell that he was a bit on edge from the way kept avoiding his eyes. First date jitters, he assumed. "I um, have your pen, the one you gave me? Hold on," Fitzroy took his wallet out of his pocket and slipped a red pen out of its loop. 

"My..." Argo tried to remember if he had given Fitzroy a pen... wouldn't he have remembered that? 

Fitzroy seemed a bit downtrodden at Argo's forgetfulness, but the expression didn't last long. "Yes, you handed your pen to me when you were leaving, the one you used to write down your number." Argo took the pen from Fitzroy, turning it over. There were clear bite marks on the cap, and Argo figured that pretty much confirmed it was his. He looked back up at Fitzroy who was looking from him to the pen in anticipation. 

"Thanks!" Argo finally said, slipping the pen behind his ear. "Now... What made you pick here?" Argo found that asking people about things they liked was a good conversation starter. Besides, hearing people talk about their favorite things was really endearing. 

"Oh, well, you know it was nearby and sometimes I come here to study just because its a nice atmosphere so its familiar I suppose, which is nice..." Fitzroy waved his hands around as he talked, which Argo found cute. "I dunno, I know it's not the coolest place ever, its just a nice quiet space to work is all."

Argo nodded. "I think it's cute. Smells nice too," he commented. 

"Um, do you want to get something, like maybe a drink or a crepe..." Fitzroy started. He looked towards the front counter, his golden rimmed glasses catching the light from the window as he turned. Argo couldn't help but chuckle. 

"A crepe? It's what, four in the afternoon?" he teased. Fitzroy scoffed, crossing his arms. He seemed disgruntled but not overly offended by Argo's teasing. 

"I- Well, maybe its a linner crepe, or a _small_ one like a pastry, people have pastries and stuff in the-" 

"Wait, wait, stop," Argo snickered, putting his hands up and shaking his head. "What the hell is a 'linner crepe'? Please, explain this foreign food language to me." He tilted his head, grinning at his soulmate mischievously.

\---

Fitzroy groaned, running one hand through his hair. With a sigh and tired expression, he attempted to explain himself. "You know how when you're eating in the time between lunch and breakfast you call it brunch? So, that's like what linner is because its between lunch and dinner- Stop- Stop laughing, I'm trying to-" Argo's giggling turned into into joyous and boisterous laughter. Fitzroy's breath caught in his throat as he stared at him, so happy and unafraid to be loud about it.

It didn't make sense. Fitzroy had been worried for his soulmate for so long and yet here he was, completely fine. Were his worries in vain, despite being backed up by the proof on his wrist? Curiosity piled up in his head, but the questions it formed might never be answered. What had happened? Why did Argo use to be so sad and was he just... alright, now. Better than alright, it seemed. What had happened and what had changed?

"Fitzroy?" Fitzroy looked up at Argo, who was looking at him expectantly. "Are you alright? Is it because I made fun of linner I'm sorry-" 

Fitzroy shook his head quickly. "No, no, its fine, you're fine- I mean... _I'm_ fine." Dammit, there couldn't have been more ways that he messed that up. Argo seemed unconvinced but he dropped the subject, to Fitzroy's relief. 

"Well, okay. I think I'll skip out on the linner crepe," Argo winked and Fitzroy almost choked on air. "But I guess I'll have a guava ice tea or maybe some lemonade" 

Fitzroy glanced up with the menu. "You know they can do both right? Iced guava white tea lemonade, it says it's right there." Fitzroy pointed to the menu and Argo followed his direction.

"Huh. That is..." Argo laughed quietly to himself again, "the longest name I've ever heard, do people _really_ call it that? Can we use an acronym or something?" 

"Yes, that's what it says on the board... " Fitzroy shrugged and stood up. "I'll go set our orders really quick, you stay here." 

"Oh, no, you don't have to-" but Fitzroy was already gone. 

\---

"That's a tall drink," Argo commented as Fitzroy sat back down. Fitzroy looked down at his caramel mocha, the swirl of whip cream piling above the glass. Argo looked at him expectantly, glancing towards his own drink in Fitzroy's other hand.

In a moment of pettiness, Fitzroy held Argo's tea lemonade hostage. "Yes, it is. Thank you for noticing, _Argo_ ," he took a long sip out his own drink, still refusing to give his soulmate his. Argo seemed to catch onto what he was doing and smirked. "What, do you want something?" Fitzroy asked innocently. 

Then Argo leaned in closer to Fitzroy, so far he could count the freckles on his face if he wanted. The sudden closeness rendered Fitzroy speechless, frozen in his spot as Argo's eyes glittered with mischief. "Yeah," Argo whispered, and Fitzroy's heart skipped a beat, his face heating up. Argo leaned back again, returning to his original position. Fitzroy sat there in stunned silence for a bit, watching him sip his drink innocently- Wait.

Sure enough, Argo had snatched the treat right from Fitzroy's hand, going completely unnoticed until now. "You slippery snake," Fitzroy accused and Argo just grinned back at him, smug as ever. God, he was so charming, it was going to be the death of him. Fitzroy scoffed, partially to hide how flustered the whole thing had made him. 

Argo was the one who broke the small silence that they had fallen into. "What makes you like snapdragons?" he asked. 

"Well, my parents have a garden at their house with all different types of flowers and I always liked its colors and unique petals... Besides, they have a cool name and they're a symbol for strength and grace which I find to be a nice sort of duality and the range of colors add to th-" Fitzroy realized he was rambling and stopped. Argo probably didn't want to hear him blabber on about the cultural significance of a dumb plant. He cleared his throat. "Sorry. I just find them aesthetically pleasing is all." 

"Don't apologize," Argo insisted, and the sincerity in his voice came as a shock to Fitzroy. He stared at him for a moment, trying to guess what he might be thinking. Argo was so unlike anyone that Fitzroy had met, and that was... confusing, to say the least. 

"Uh, right..." Fitzroy took another sip from his drink, eager to turn the conversation anyway from himself. "What about you? Why do you like daylilies?" 

Argo looked down at the tattoos along his arms as he spoke. "Probably because they grew near the beach where I lived and- and my ma used to bring them to me as a kid! Its funny, I didn't even know their name. I never really made the conscious decision to like them, it just sorta happened." Fitzroy nodded as Argo as spoke, watching his hands run along the patterns on his arms slowly. 

"I'm guessing you're close with your mom," Fitzroy commented nonchalantly. 

Argo's movement stopped abruptly and his face fell. "W-What?" He said, staring at Fitzroy with uncharacteristic intensity. Fitzroy gave him a confused look. Had he said something wrong? 

"The daylily," Fitzroy explained, "its a symbol for motherly devotion. I, um- You said that your mother gave you them sometimes and, I, uh, I know you said you didn't even know what they were so of course you didn't know the significance but um..." Fitzroy trailed off, and his concern for Argo grew. The other man was staring at the table now, his hands folded neatly on the surface. 

"Yes, yes... We, uh, we w- are," was all Argo said. Okay, so there was definitely something there that he wasn't telling Fitzroy, and he really should _not_ push it... But, oh, the curiosity! Fitzroy had so many questions, some that had he had been dying to know the answers to for years and here Argo was, with all of those solutions... 

"Are you al-" 

"So your Rainer's friend, huh?" 

And the conversation moved along. From how Fitzroy met Rainer to how Argo didn't actually work at the library but rather volunteered (which Fitzroy admired) to Argo's interest in fashion. It was mostly just small talk, sharing basic facts about themselves back and forth. As simple as the topics may be, both of them seemed to enjoy the conversation. The minutes ticked by and eventually Fitzroy realized that the light from the window was beginning to die down.

He checked his watch, which gave away that it was almost six o'clock. Had they really been talking for almost two hours? "Its getting kind of late," Fitzroy said as Argo finished talking about his infamous color theory presentation. 

"Oh," Argo looked out the window. "Huh, I didn't even notice." He looked back at Fitzroy, that mischievous sparkle in his eyes returning. "They say time flies by when you're having fun." Fitzroy laughed quietly at his flirt, turning away from him slightly in a poor attempt to hide his blush. 

"Yes, well, I suppose it does," he said, letting his eyes wander around the cafe, across the menu and the bulletin board. Fitzroy looked back towards his soulmate to see him staring at him. Argo's expression was so soft as he smiled at him, leaning slightly to the side. Fitzroy's heart fluttered in his chest as he thought about how _he_ was the one Argo was looking at so lovingly, _he_ was the object of his affection. It felt strange to have someone look at him like that, so unfamiliar yet so good. He wanted to be looked at like that more often. And with Argo, he probably would be. 

After about a minute of comfortable silence and staring, Fitzroy looked away. He started to pack his things up and Argo did the same. Argo reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet before Fitzroy could stop him.

"Here," Argo said, trying to give Fitzroy a five dollar bill and two more one dollar bills. When Fitzroy didn't take it he added, "For the drink."

"No," Fitzroy said simply, putting the glass cup his own drink had been in the collecting bin. "Its only six dollars, it's nothing." Argo stubbornly pushed the money towards Fitzroy, who backed up further. 

"Plus tax! Just take it!" 

"No, Argo!" Fitzroy laughed. He opened the door of the cafe and Argo followed behind him as he walked out. "Tax or no tax, I don't need your seven dollars, its fine. Just let me buy you the drink." Argo seemed unconvinced and Fitzroy sighed. "Please?" 

Argo finally gave in, crossing his arms dramatically. " _Fine_ , but that means I'm buying whatever we get for the next date." The next date. Right. Right, they could do this again, they were _going_ to do this again. Fitzroy smiled at that thought, that today could become a routine instead of an exception. Argo must have seen Fitzroy's smile because he smiled back. He stepped forward and pulled his soulmate into a hug. 

Argo's arms folded around Fitzroy's back and Fitzroy practically melted into his embrace. He wrapped his own arms around Argo. Fitzroy was almost as tall as him thanks to his heels, so his face fell right beside Argo's. His hair brushed against his face, and it was soft and smelled of citrus for some reason. Argo's embrace was soft and gentle but so sure; a perfect mixture that resulted in maximum comfort for Fitzroy.

Finally, Argo pulled away and Fitzroy found himself sad over how short the hug had been. "See you again soon?" Argo proposed, one hand still on Fitzroy's shoulder. 

"See you again soon," Fitzroy promised. Argo gave him a final smile before turning to walk away. Fitzroy waved as he left his sight and he waved back before disappearing around the corner. 

Fitzroy stood there for a moment, before taking a deep breath. He covered his mouth with his hand, trying to suppress the squeal that was building in his throat. He wanted to shout and bounce up and down and gush but he was in public, goddammit Fitzroy, keep it _together_. Thanks to another deep breath, Fitzroy managed to make it to his car before screaming into his shirt. 

He didn't notice the seven dollars that had been expertly slipped into his back pocket until he got home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayyyyy early update again! That might keep happening since I got my own computer and school is over for me now! This chapter was a ton of fun to do, finally getting to the soft content for my boys :D 
> 
> "Argo probably didn't want to hear him blabber on about the cultural significance of a dumb plant."   
> (narrator voice) Argo definitely wanted to hear him blabber on about the cultural significance of a dumb plant.


	8. Guilty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fitzroy checks on Argo to see if he's alright.
> 
> He isn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: This chapter handles anxiety and depression at some pretty up-close levels (specifically the feeling that everything is your fault, and that you don't deserve compassion). If this topic is particularly upsetting to you, I have provided a small summery of the events of this chapter in the notes at the end so you don't have to read it. Stay safe.

Fitzroy was pacing around his living room, with his phone sitting on the coffee table, the screen opened to his text messages with Argo. "But if I ask him then wouldn't that be invasive? He would've told me something was up if he wanted too, which clearly he doesn't." 

It was only Sunday, two days after Fitzroy and Argo's date. Although he wouldn't admit it, Fitzroy already missed him. He was mad at himself for that fact. _Stop being so codependent, so clingy,_ he thought, angry at his own apparent insistence on being weak. He needed to stop being so emotional and just man up, for goodness sakes.

Anyway, the point was that Fitzroy had been doing a lot of thinking about his soulmate. He just couldn't help it, okay?! Argo was so handsome and charming and pretty and perfect. Fitzroy clung to the memories of their date, and feeling of Argo's arms wrapped around him. Just thinking about his flirting made Fitzroy blush. He didn't like feeling this way, helpless and desperate and vulnerable. 

He also didn't like feeling the way he did now, anxious and unsure. Fitzroy flopped down dramatically on the couch with a sigh. He ran his hands along his face and groaned, wrought with indecision. Leaning over, the man looked down at the flowers on his wrist. They were wilting, for the first time since he had met Argo. The new snapdragon petals were droopy now and the daylily was desaturated and wrinkled. 

It was strange, really. Fitzroy had hoped for so long to have the power he had now- to be able to contact his soulmate so he could help him. But now that he did, it was less heroic than Fitzroy had imagined and more... awkward. Knowing how someone was feeling without them telling you was weird and it made him feel like he was prying. Which he wasn't, not technically. It wasn't his fault he had a magic flower tattoo on his skin that was attuned to Argo's emotional state. 

Fitzroy looked back at his phone on the table. He had Argo's number right there. He could ask him what was wrong, talk to him, comfort him. That's what Fitzroy wanted, but his anxiety about bothering his soulmate and sticking his nose in places he wasn't wanted disagreed. 

It was his own overthinking that actually got him to do it. His fear that Argo was in trouble and if Fitzroy didn't do anything now he'd lose him was enough to make him pick his phone up. He pondered over what to say for a good minute or so, then finally sent a text. 

_"Hey, you alright?"_ Fitzroy's message read. As soon as he sent it, he started doubting himself. He was being paranoid and annoying and desperate. It was none of his business and Argo didn't have to involve him in his personal life if he didn't want to. And he probably didn't want to because Fitzroy was being pushy and weird and-

Fitzroy fell sideways on his couch and curled up into a ball of misery. Why couldn't he just be cool and chill like Rainer and Buckminster and his parents and Argo? Why was he always so unsure of everything? Everyone _else_ seemed like they knew what they wanted, they had everything all figured out, but he just... didn't. Was there something wrong with him? What made him any different? Fitzroy didn't _want_ to be different, he just wanted to be normal. He just wanted to be like everyone else, but instead it seemed like he stuck out like a sore thumb. And sure, sometimes he did a pretty good job of hiding that, with the fancy and uptight persona he displayed, but eventually _someone_ was going to see him for the fraud he was and then he would be cast away. He would be alone. He _was_ alone. 

When his phone buzzed with a text from Argo, Fitzroy had the urge to throw it across the room. He didn't want to see the reply, which was no doubt one of disdain. But part of him, the part still pitifully yearning for even a sliver of attention, wanted to see what Argo had wrote very badly because, hey, at least he'd acknowledged him! 

Fitzroy peeked at the message on his phone's lock-screen nervously. Above the picture of his friends at the boardwalk was a small bubble that just read, _"I'm fine!"_

\---

Argonaut Keene was definitely not fine. He was lying on the floor of his apartment bedroom in an unflattering oversized T-shirt with his college's logo on it and sweatpants. For a fashion major, he certainly wasn't dressed like one. His hair was knotted and messy, and his eyes were bloodshot and puffy from crying. Argo was staring at the ceiling, sniffing every once in a while in attempt to hold back more sobs. His chest and throat both burned from the effort, but for some reason he felt the need to contain himself.

On top of his usual grief around this time of year was the news his best (and only) friend Bud had given him. He was moving back to his hometown, up the coast, and Argo probably wouldn't be able to see him for a while once he was gone. Bud (or Firby, as Argo liked to call him) was an orphan, like Argo, and he'd met the big guy while he was staying with the Jones family, before Bud got adopted and left Argo behind. He was the only person Argo really trusted and related to, and to have him leave... 

They would keep in touch, of course, but it wasn't the same. Who's house would Argo drive to when he needed someone to talk to in person? Who would he trade trinkets like seashells and moss with? Who would give him hugs so big it felt like his ribs were going to be crushed? Argo knew the answer to all of these questions; No-one.

Argo's throat betrayed him and let a sob escape. Why did the people he cared about have to always leave? There _must_ be a reason for it. Maybe it was because Argo deserved it. Yes, the universe knew that Argo was an awful person who couldn't move on and was selfish and terrible so it made sure he could never hurt anyone by taking them away. He was the reason Bud was moving away and he was the reason that Shebrie was dead. 

Of course, none of this rhetoric would make any sense to an outsider. Bud was moving because he wanted to go back to his hometown, where he had spent his childhood and felt he belonged. Shebrie was dead because she had had an infection in her lungs that had gone unchecked for months because she couldn't afford a trip to the doctor's that she didn't see as an emergency. There were logical explanations for these events, and Argo knew that, of course he did. But he didn't believe it. 

No matter how delusional it might seem, when someone is convinced that they are a bad person, a burden, then suddenly everything is their fault. Every bad thing is their doing no matter how hard they try. The guilt is a pressing weight that crushes you from the inside until you can no longer breathe, because you don't deserve to breathe, you don't deserve to be here, you have ruined everything and the people around you are suffering because of it. 

All Argo could do was lay on the floor and wallow in self-hatred and shame for things he played no part in. He was angry at himself for that too, crying out of self-pity while others out there had _real_ problems, not fake ones made up for attention like his. He was feeling sorry for himself and that was selfish. No matter how hard he tried, he was a bad person. 

There was a quiet ding as Argo's phone received a message. "Go away," Argo murmured. He didn't deserve whoever was texting him. But _they_ didn't deserve to be ignored, so Argo sat up and grabbed his phone from off of his bed. 

There was a text from Fitzroy, simply reading, _"Hey, are you alright?"_

_"I'm fine!"_ Argo wrote back without hesitation, of course. Then, after a moment's pause he wrote, _"what makes u ask?"_ Fitzroy's timing was horribly perfect, and Argo was a tad suspicious.

It took a moment for Fitzroy to reply, and Argo began to doubt himself again. Asking why Fitzroy was asking might be seen as passive aggressive. Oh no, Argo was being mean to his soulmate oh god, he was probably making Fitzroy feel so uncomfortable and miserable, he was the worst boyfriend ever- 

Instead of a text, a picture came through. It was an image of Fitzroy's wrist, where his soulmark was. The flowers imprinted there were discolored and shriveled inside of bright and bold. They must be in their wilting state, and Argo supposed they were for good reason too. He looked at his own soulmark, which was in a similar state, the snapdragons and daylilies curling downward instead of reaching towards the sky. Argo never really thought much about his soulmark being wilted- everyone had bad days and although he wished he could do something, he didn't have that power. Well, now he technically did.

Argo connected the dots, realizing that he must be the reason Fitzroy was feeling bad. Either Fitzroy had seen his soulmark wilting and felt bad because Argo was feeling bad or Fitzroy was already having a sucky day and he was upset that Argo hadn't even tried to reach out to him to help him. Argo's stomach dropped as he thought of how inconsiderate he was being, sitting here pitying himself as he hurt someone he cared about. He sank back down to the floor. 

Fitzroy didn't deserve this. He was sweet and smart and cool and endearing and it was unfair that he was stuck with someone like Argo. Argo wished the world wasn't like this. He wished Fitzroy could be free from him, free of the pain that he'd no doubt cause him. Oh course, wishing was different than wanting. Argo liked Fitzroy- he liked him _a lot_. He wanted to be with him, to be his soulmate, but he didn't deserve him. Argo's feelings didn't matter. He cared a lot more about Fitzroy than he cared about himself. 

Still, there was nothing Argo could do about it. Whatever thing controlled the universe had bound them together, and there was no turning back. 

There was another ding as Argo's phone lit up. _"If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine,"_ Fitzroy had wrote. 

Argo thought about what to say for a while. He didn't want to say anything that made it seem like he didn't trust Fitzroy or want to talk to him. It wasn't about trust, it was about being a burden and dragging people into his pathetic personal issues. _"No its fine, sorry I just don't wanna bother you haha. Im alright, really. Thanks for caring though :)"_

_"You're not bothering me, I'm the one who asked in the first place. I WANT to know if anything's wrong, so I can help, if you want me to,"_ Fitzroy reasoned. Argo stared at the message for a while. He wanted to believe it, he wanted to take Fitzroy's words to heart but the voice in his head wouldn't let him. "He's just being polite," it whispered. "He's just too nice to tell you the truth." Argo tried as best he could not to listen because if he did he knew he'd be spiraling again. He _had_ to have a good day now, for Fitzroy. Or at least he had to pretend to. (Little did he know that pretending didn’t work, and it never had. You can’t lie to something connected to your own emotions) 

_”Thx. Just a rough day is all, nothing big. I hope your doing well too <3.” _ Argo hesitated a bit at adding the heart, but he decided to keep it in the end. He hoped Fitzroy found it cute, and not too forward. He had seemed okay with Argo’s flirting in person though, so a little heart emoticon shouldn’t be an issue- he was just overthinking things.

 _"Thank you. I hope your day gets better. I am here for you!"_ Fitzroy promised. Argo paused for a moment, plopping down on his bed as he read Fitzroy's words again and again. Maybe if he kept looking at them, he'd drown out the voice in his head screaming about how he didn't deserve it, didn't deserve _him_. _"I am here for you" "I am here for you" "I am here for you"_. Argo blinked a few silent tears out of his eyes and took a shaky deep breath. _"I am here for you" "I am here for you" "I am here for you!"_. He wanted to type a heartfelt reply, to explain to Fitzroy how much his words meant to him, but he might scare him off. The last thing Argo wanted was for Fitzroy to feel like he needed to solve his problems. 

_"Also its you're, not your,"_ Fitzroy added. God, he was so cute. Argo laughed softly, wiping his face a bit. He curled up on his side, reaching out for a pillow and pulling it into a tight hug. He read the whole conversation over again and, although he was a bit embarrassed to do so, Argo took a screenshot of it so that he could look at it whenever he needed to. Maybe that was being desperate, but rereading Fitzroy's comforting words seemed to block out his anxieties fairly well so he might as well use that to his advantage. Argo was so caught up with this, that he didn't remember to actually respond until Fitzroy sent another text.

 _"Sorry for bugging you, lol, I'll leave you alone."_ Argo frowned. He didn't Fitzroy to stop talking to him, quite the opposite in fact. 

_"Please dont,"_ Argo asked. He knew that response made him vulnerable, but he didn't care. He trusted Fitzroy not to hurt him. Argo hugged the pillow closer, closing his eyes as he wished for a positive response from his soulmate. _Please don't be mad, please just stay, I want you to stay, I need you to stay._

 _"Lol, you want me to keep bugging you?"_

_"Bugging isnt the right word but yes."_

_"Okay. Is there something you want to talk about?"_

"No, I just need you," Argo typed out. He was going to add "to talk to me" but what he already had written was just as true. He considered sending it just like that, just those five words that he felt so deeply, but no, they were too forward. Not yet. He finished the message and sent it. 

_"Cool." "I keep forgetting to ask, but do you have any pets? I'm just curious."_

_"Nah, you?"_

_"Yes, I have an English Cocker Spaniel."_

_"Awww cute I love dogs! Whats his name?"_

_"Snippers."_

_"Why the hell did you name your dog Snippers wtf Fitz"_

_"Its a loooong story okay?!"_ Fitzroy responded, and the voice in Argo's head grew a little quieter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its sad Argo kinnie hours ya'll. I'm so sorry about the tonal shift, anyone who reads the last chapter and this one back to back is going to get whiplash I'm sorry. I'll apologize by... doing it again and giving you Fluff With Rainer next hehehoohe! Thanks for putting up with my bullshit, love ya.
> 
> Summery: Argo is sad about his best friend Bud (the Firbolg) leaving town and down on himself and Fitzroy notices his soulmark is wilting and is like “are you okay?”. Argo lies and says he’s fine because he doesn’t want to be a burden and Fitzroy says that his soulmark says otherwise. He tells Argo that it’s okay if he doesn’t want to talk and he’s here for him anyway and Argo’s like :)


	9. Consideration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fitzroy gets called out.
> 
> Argo makes a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's loving Leon, Buckminster and of course, the love of my life, Rainer Michelle time.

Fitzroy picked at the tassels of a red pillow on Buckminster's couch, half-listening to his friend talk about his newest obsession. The idea of walking around a dusty abandoned building didn't interest Fitzroy much at all, but Buckminster seemed pretty excited about this "urban exploration" stuff so he made the decision to at least not zone out all the way. 

"I found a cool piece of blue glass too, but Leon wouldn't let me pick it up because he's paranoid," Buckminster said, and Fitzroy nodded in response. 

"No, I'm not!" Leon called from the kitchen, making Fitzroy chuckle a bit. He had to admit, they were a very endearing couple. Leon walked into the room and stood at the back of the couch where Buck and Fitzroy were seated. "Nevertheless, I'm going to _Panera Bread_ , what do you want, Fitzroy?" 

"Oh, um, I'm fine..." Fitzroy tried, but Leon gave him a look that said 'I'm getting you a sandwich, bitch', and he gave up. "I'll text you the order so you don't have to try and remember it I'm... a bit picky." Leon nodded. 

"I-" Buckminster started. 

"I know what you want, dear," Leon said, kissing his boyfriend on the top of his head. Buck smiled and watched as Leon grabbed his coat and keys. 

"Drive safely!" 

Leon opened the door, giving Buckminster one last look before heading out. "You know I always do. I'm paranoid, remember?" Buckminster scoffed fondly and Leon closed the door behind him. 

Fitzroy stared at his friend for a moment before tentatively asking, "How do you guys do it?" 

"Do what?" Buckminster said, finally tearing his gaze from where his soulmate had just been. 

"You know, the whole," Fitzroy put his arms out, gesturing vaguely to Buckminster and door that Leon had taken, "communication thing?" Fitzroy himself sucked at that part, and although he was always hesitant to ask for help he figured he could trust Buck to at least try and give him some pointers. He always got so nervous around Argo, afraid that he was going to mess up or say the wrong thing and ruin things forever. 

Buckminster laughed and leaned into the couch. He put his arms behind his head, covering the freshias and bluebells that lined his forearms like bracers. "Fitz, is this about your soulmate- ugh, what's his name... Fargo?" 

" _Argo_." 

"Right, right," Buckminster said, waving his hand dismissively as he adjusted his position again. "Anyways, is this about him? Because we're hardly in the same boat, dude. Leon and I have known each other since sophomore year of high school." 

"I know, I know it's just..." Fitzroy sighed. What had he gotten himself into? He really didn't want to present himself as silly and lovesick to someone like Buckminster, even if it was true. "I'm not great at talking." 

Buckminster laughed again, more heartily this time, and Fitzroy felt like he should probably take offense to that for some reason. "You? 'Not great at talking'? Please, Fitzroy, I know you and if there's one thing you're great at, it's talking everyone's ears off." Fitzroy pouted, and Buck took a sip of whatever drink he had in his coffee mug. "You're not bad at talking, Fitz; you're just pining."

Fitzroy made a noise in offense that he intended to be a scoff but ended up sounding more like a squeak. "I'm not- I'm not _pining_ , I'm just- I-" Fitzroy put his face in his hands with a groan. Buckminster smiled and patted him on the back. The smaller man smacked his hand away, which only made him laugh more. "I just get overwhelmed!" 

"And by overwhelmed, you mean flustered," Buckminster retorted, earning himself another glare. "What? You know I'm right!" 

"You're the worst," Fitzroy argued as he stood up from the couch. "I'm not flustered, I'm just..." What could he use as an excuse? Anxious, or awestruck were just as bad and he couldn't think of anything else. He didn't want Buckminster to think any less of him, he didn't want to be the blushing, lovestruck idiot. That would make him sensitive and weak. Right? Fitzroy sat back down with a sigh. "I don't know." 

Fitzroy could feel Buckminster staring at him, and it was a terrible feeling. What was he thinking? Finally, Buckminster shrugged and took another sip from his mug. "Okay." Okay? What kind of answer was that?!

"What do you mean 'okay'?" Fitzroy asked in suspicion. 

"By okay, I mean fucking okay, Fitzroy," Buckminster said, setting his cup down. "If you don't want to talk about something, I'm not going to push it. You're the one who asked for my advice, but you're resisting what I'm giving to you so I'm not going to try. So either get your shit to together and stop giving mixed signals or we can move on, okay?" Fitzroy stared at him, dumbfounded at being called out so throughly. "Okay." 

There was a moment of silence, and then Fitzroy took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Buckminster, I have been... Unfair. Everything you've said so far has been accurate, but it... it's made me uncomfortable. That's why I've denied it." 

"Why do you think it makes you uncomfortable?" 

"Well, I think that's pretty obvious," Fitzroy chuckled, and Buckminster raised his eyebrows. It was, apparently, not that obvious. "I don't want to be weak or sensitive, you know, I-" 

"So, you think expressing your emotions makes you weak?" Buckminster asked, and Fitzroy sighed again. 

"I- I guess? I dunno, that kind of makes me seem like an asshole, doesn't it?" Buckminster nodded in agreement. "I don't- I don't think that's what really makes you weak, that's not the word its more like... its being vulnerable!" Fitzroy snapped as he landed on the right word. "Telling people you have feelings like that for them, it makes you vulnerable!" 

"And you think that's bad?" 

Fitzroy huffed in amusement. "Well, I mean yeah. Being vulnerable pretty much the definition of showing weakness." 

"Yeah," Buckminster agreed, and Fitzroy had a moment of pride at finally saying something right. "But showing weakness is a strength." 

"Okay, now you're just being cryptic on purpose." 

"I'm serious!" Buck insisted. "Emotional vulnerability requires trust, which requires bravery which requires strength. Strength is kind of a vague word, but you get the gist of it. The point is that being vulnerable, allowing yourself to show 'weakness', is strength itself. It means you're confident enough in the way you feel that you're willing to share it with others." 

Fitzroy thought about Buckminster's words for a moment. Was the way he saw the world wrong? He was hesitant to even consider that idea, but Buckminster had been right in calling him out; if he was going to ask for advice then he should at least listen to people when they gave it to him. "I guess that makes sense..." 

Suddenly, his phone buzzed from inside his pocket and he pulled it out to see who had texted him. _"Panera?"_ read Leon's eloquent message. Fitzroy began typing out his order and Buckminster stood up and walked to the kitchen with his now empty mug. And that was the end of their conversation, despite the fact that much more needed to be said.

\---

Argo had a little extra time after reading today, since they had come to the end of the book. It was a bummer, really. He was going to miss tapping into the days of his youth, full of fake-y pirate accents and sailor slang. The kids seemed disappointed too, but once Argo mentioned that the next book was about Ninjas their sorrow was thrown to the wind. Their excited chatter was pretty entertaining to watch, and Argo himself couldn't stay down for long.

Eventually, the kids got bored of talking and those who's parents were there already took them home. Most of the caretakers of his listeners stopped to watch anyway, since their sessions were only an hour long. According to his watch, Argo had around three minutes until he had to head back to campus. Nonetheless, he started to pack up his things, just out of habit. 

"Soooooo," Argo turned around to see Ayden's older sister Rainer behind him, a wide grin spread across her face. Ayden stood to her side, having a conversation regarding stegosauruses with another one of Argo's listeners. "You're my best friend's soulmate, huh?" Rainer tilted her head slightly, and the look in her eyes was the picture of mischievous delight. 

"Yeah," Argo said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "Got any embarrassing stories 'bout him?" 

Rainer's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands. "Oh, do I _ever_!" she said ecstatically. She waggled her finger at him, still grinning. "I like you, Argonaut Keene." Argo smiled widely. When was the last time he had heard someone say something like that? 

"I'm glad!" It was nice to know that Fitzroy's friends liked him- or at least one of them. He had yet to meet the others, and he was sure someone as cool as Fitzroy had a lot of pals. Also, Fitzroy had told Rainer about him! Argo had assumed he would, but it was nice to have that confirmation, to know that Fitzroy was just as excited as he was. 

"Okay, okay, I know you probably have to get going soon but can I tell you one right now, because I think it's the funniest thing _ever_ ," Rainer snickered, still clapping her hands a bit. It looked like she was going to explode if she didn't tell him soon. "Its short, I promise." 

"Sure, I got time!" Argo said, sitting back down in his chair so he was eye-to-eye with Rainer. His decision to listen was driven half by curiosity and half by him not wanting to crush Rainer's dreams of embarrassing her friend. 

"So, basically when I first asked him to pick Ayden up from your readings, I was like 'yeah these sessions are run by this guy named Argo he'll take care of him till you get there' and he just," Rainer laughed a bit to herself. "He made fun of your name. Like, he made fun of his soulmate's name before even meeting him and he didn't know, I- OH, the _irony_! It's just so good!" 

Argo chuckled, a bit from Rainer's excitement at the whole thing and from her story. "Really? Well what'd he say?" 

"He was all like 'Argo? What sort of name is that?'" Rainer said, doing a strikingly good impression of Argo's soulmate, with his uptight posture and nasally voice. Argo laughed again, which only served as encouragement for Rainer. "And I was like 'brave words for someone who's name means son of king, but I bet you like that don't you, you extra, _extra_ little man.'"

"Son of King, huh?" Argo inquired, and Rainer nodded smugly. "I didn't know I was so involved with royalty." 

"Ra-ra?" Rainer and Argo turned their attention to Ayden, who had apparently finished his dinosaur themed conversation. 

"'Sup, squirt?" Rainer asked.

"Is Fitzroy gonna marriage Argo?" Ayden asked innocently. Rainer bite her lip in an attempt to hide her laughter, and she glanced at Argo, who was stubbornly looking in an another direction, a bit flushed. 

"They're not quite there yet, Ayden. But they are soulmates! Just not 'marriaged'... yet." Rainer said, and Argo mentally thanked her for not leaving the answer up to him.

"Oh ok!" Ayden turned his attention to Argo. "Does that mean you're going to come to our house like Fitzroy does? We can play swords and you can read me more Enchanted Treefort, and we can play Super Mario Kart, but Mom always wins so we have to not let her play so I can win, okay?"

Argo smiled and ruffled Ayden's hair. "Sounds like a lot of fun, kiddo. We'll have to try that out some time." He grinned devilishly. "Maybe I'll even beat yer mum at Mario Kart."

"No you will not." Rainer stated matter-of-factly. "Beat Mom at Mario Kart, that is. You can totally come over with Fitzroy sometime, that'd be fun, actually!" It was then that a sudden realization hit Argo. This was how things were now, or rather how they could be. Maybe Fitzroy's friends could become his, maybe he could hang out with them, maybe he could be a part of the group. He could be included. And for some reason, that idea made Argo feel almost relieved. 

"Argo? You alright there, man?" Argo became aware of Rainer and Ayden staring at him awkwardly. He supposed that he had zoned out a bit. He blinked, and found that his eyes were watery. 

"Y-Yeah!" Argo finally replied in an upbeat tone as he wiped his face in a way he hoped was discreet. "Sorry, I'm... tired. But, uh, yes! That does sound like a good time! We'll have to plan it at some point, I'll talk to Fitz." 

Rainer seemed to take the hint, and gave him an understanding smile before moving the conversation along. "Fitz, huh? It took forever for him to let _me_ call him that. He must really like you." 

"I sure hope so," Argo joked, but he really did mean his words. Argo really wanted Fitzroy to like him as much as Argo liked _him_. And he probably did, he was just more subtle about it. Which was fine, of course, everyone expressed affection differently, but Argo couldn't help but have anxiety over it sometimes. What if he was lying to himself? What if Rainer was wrong? What if Fitzroy didn't actually like him at all, and he just felt obligated to because they were soulmates? 

_"I am here for you,"_ whispered a voice in Argo's head, familiar and new. 

Argo's alarm on his phone went off, and Rainer seemed to notice. "Seems like we should start heading out," she said. "It was nice to fully meet you! Chat with you later?" 

"Chat with you later," Argo agreed, shaking Rainer's hand. She smiled then turned to leave, and Ayden followed close behind after he gave his role-model a good-bye hug. 

Argo made sure that the few remaining kids were with their guardians before heading out the door himself. And even as he walked back towards campus, there was a smile still spread along his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Argo deserves happiness 2020 :'), let him be friends with Rainer. Buckminster really be out here like "Being stereotypically masculine? A vibe. But toxic masculinity? Not a vibe." and I live by that.
> 
> We're at 20,000 words now! Thank you so SO very much for your support, I appreciate every bit of it! 💕💕💕


	10. Cheesy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (chanting) Movie date time, movie date time, movie date time!

Although the area where Fitzroy lived was nice, it was also a bit secluded. His house was located in a gated community on top of hill that overlooked the ocean. The nearest shops were all a good ways away, since you had to pass by a pretty large public cemetery to get to them. However, one of the first things you'd run into was an old movie theater that had been there ever since Fitzroy could remember. He had fond of memories of this place, from when he and Buckminster used to trick their way into the PG-13 movies, even though it only worked half of the time due to Fitzroy's height. It was also accessible enough for Rainer, so their whole friend group would go there for movies sometimes in high school. 

Needless to say, when Argo brought up maybe going to a movie together, Fitzroy knew exactly where he wanted to go. Argo had seemed a bit hesitant for whatever reason, but Fitzroy had been insistent that if they were going to see a movie, it should be at _this_ theater. He never really realized how sentimental he was about the place until that conversation. Fitzroy hoped he wasn't being too pushy, but going to a different theater felt almost as if he was betraying his youth. He knew that was a weird stance, but for once he didn't care. 

Argo had agreed to go to Fitzroy's theatre after some convincing, and then the only thing to do was pick a movie. There were a number films that were being shown over the weekend. Fitzroy had never been good at making decisions about movies, he usually let Buckminster or Rainer pick when they went. It wasn't that he didn't know what he liked, it was just his taste in films was a bit... embarrassing. Most people would categorize the things he liked as "cheesy to the point of disillusionment". And, yes, maybe that was true, but was it really such a crime to want to see a story about people falling deep in love, even if it was unrealistic? 

_"You can pick the movie, since I picked the theatre,"_ Fitzroy texted Argo, in a sneaky attempt to not leave the decision up to himself.

It took a while for Argo to respond, but Fitzroy just assumed he was looking up the trailers to each of the film's or something. Eventually, Argo responded. _"How about the_ Aphrodite is a Planet _one it seems cute! It plays in Saturday at 3:00?"_ Huh. That was... actually the one Fitzroy had wanted to see. 

According to the summary on the theater's website, _Aphrodite is a Planet_ was a story about how opposites attracted. The main character, Isabella, was a no-nonsense astronomer who moved to a small rural town where it was easier to see the stars. One of the town's residents, a bubbly farmer's daughter named Sam, become very curious in her work- and in Isabella herself. "Can the two girls discover the secrets of the stars- as well as their love for each other?" read the tagline. It sounded cheesy, but that was right up Fitzroy's alley. And apparently Argo's too? 

_"Sounds great! I'll see you there <3!"_ Fitzroy wrote. And he didn't even over think the little heart until after he had sent it.

\---

Argo was the second to arrive to the theater, which he supposed made sense since it sounded like Fitzroy knew the location by heart. While it was very cute how insistent he was on coming to this particular place, it did sort of serve as an issue for Argo, financially speaking. Films that had come out recently were always less cheap than those that had been running for a while, and this theater didn't play any of the later. No matter, though. Argo didn't mind spending a few extra bucks if it meant that he got to hang out with Fitzroy.

Speaking of the man himself... "Argo!" Fitzroy called to him as soon as he walked in. Argo smiled and headed over towards his soulmate, with a bit of bounce in his step. 

"Heya Fitz! How've ya been?" 

"I've been alright, how about you?" Fitzroy said, sticking one hand in his coat pocket. 

"Good! And better now that I'm with you," Argo winked and Fitzroy blushed. God, he was so adorable when he got all flustered like that, Argo was so lucky. 

"Well, uh, thank you, um, you too..." Fitzroy stumbled on his words as he took two slips of paper out of his pocket. He handed one to Argo and cleared his throat. "A- Anyway, here's your ticket."

"Oh!" Argo took the piece of paper, a bit surprised that Fitzroy had already gotten them. "Thanks! I'll pay you ba-"

"Actually, you legally can't do that because you lied to me last time and gave me the money for your drink so I have to buy your ticket, those are the rules," Fitzroy huffed, and Argo grinned at his antics.

"The rules, huh?" he teased, raising an eyebrow. 

"Yes."

"Hm... Well, I'd _hate_ to break those," Argo said, stroking his mustache thoughtfully. "Fine. I'll play by the rules, but only this once. And, I get to pay for the snacks!" 

"Deal!" Fitzroy put his hand out, and Argo shook it. His soulmate giggled a bit and pulled out his phone. "Um, before you do that can we maybe like, take a picture or something? Like I said, this place is kinda sentimental and I thought it would be cool, I dunno, maybe I could show Rainer or something because we always come here... I know its not-"

"Sure thing!" Argo said, already moving to stand next to Fitzroy so he could take the picture. 

Fitzroy positioned his camera so that Argo and himself were in frame, as well as a part of the theater's sign. Fitzroy smiled out the corner of his mouth and Argo grinned and did a peace-sign. 

"Thanks," Fitzroy said, smiling as he looked over the picture to make sure it turned out well. 

"No problem! You're really good at taking selfies, by the way. I always get my thumb in the frame when I try an' take 'em," Argo said. "While you send that to Rainer, I'm gonna go get us our popcorn." Fitzroy nodded in agreement, already in the process of sending the photo. 

Argo walked towards the concessions booth, and the perky young woman at the counter smiled at him when she saw him heading over. "Hello! What can I get for you today?"

"Hiya! Can I get a..." Argo glanced at the prices on a big board. "medium popcorn and two sodas please?" 

"Sure! Do you want to make that popcorn a large for only 50 more cents?" 

"No thank you."

"Alright!" The woman turned around and Argo looked around the theater a bit as he waited. It was a pretty standard cinema, interior-design wise. There were lots of reds and yellows, along with posters of the films that were currently being shown framed on the walls. Argo spotted the poster for the movie he and Fitzroy were seeing in the midst of them. It was a picture of night sky with two figures looking up at it on the bottom, with red cursive letters that read _"Aphrodite is a Planet"_. He didn't really understand the title, but the story seemed cute and the price of the tickets was on the lower end, so Argo wasn't really complaining. 

Eventually, Argo received the popcorn and drinks and headed over towards the soda station. Fitzroy had already finished texting Rainer so he met him there. 

"What kind of drink?" Argo said as he finished filling up his own cup with orange soda.

"Hm? Oh, uh, cherry Coke, please."

"Cool. Hey, do you know what the title of the movie we're seeing is about?" Argo asked, starting to fill Fitzroy's soda now. "Like, what's the thing with Aphrodite? She's a goddess or something, right?"

"Yeah, Aphrodite's the Greek goddess of love. I think the title's referring to the fact that her Roman counterpart is named Venus, as in the planet. And since the story is a romance, it makes sense for it to refer to her, I suppose." Fitzroy paused for a moment. "Your full name's Argonaut, right? Like the sailors?" 

Argo nodded. "Yeah, it is." He remembered the first time Fitzroy had gotten like this, when he was talking about flowers. "You're pretty smart."

Fitzroy seemed surprised by the compliment. "I- I mean, I _guess_. It's less of intelligence though, and more of just... Knowing things."

"Isn't that what being smart is? Knowing things?"

"Maybe if it's knowing about important things like... I don't know, math facts or something, but not so much when it's knowing about pretentious stuff like flowers or poetry or mythos."

"I don't think that stuff's pretentious," Argo argued, handing Fitzroy his drink. Things like those that Fitzroy was describing helped make life enjoyable. Without fun things to think or talk about, the world was dull. "'Pretentious' is a word boring people use to mock people that are actually having fun with their lives. Now, c'mon, we're gonna be late for the movie.

\---

Fitzroy was hyperaware of Argo's hand as it sat gently on top of his own. He had been the one to put his hand on the armrest between them first, then Argo had surprised him by doing the same. Call him touch-starved, but it felt really nice to be in contact with someone for such an extended period of time.

They were about halfway through the movie now, at the part where Isabella realized her feelings for Sam. Maybe he was just projecting, but Isabella reminded Fitzroy a lot of himself; and Sam of Argo. Both of them were cheery, suave and kind... Fitzroy glanced at his soulmate, who was sipping his soda and staring intently at the screen before them.

Fitzroy was glad that Argo was enjoying the movie so far, just like he was. It wasn't as cheesy as he had assumed it was going to be, but the story itself certainly was sappy (seemingly despite Isabella's efforts). And surprisingly enough, the film wasn't completely pulling the astronomy bits out of thin air. Whoever had been in charge of researching that field of study for Isabella's character had done a pretty good job. Astronomy had been one of Fitzroy's many obscure obsessions as a kid (and quite honestly as an adult too. Space was just really cool...), and from what he could tell, so far everything they had said in the movie had been of at least some substance.

The movie continued on and eventually they ran out of popcorn. "Hey," Argo whispered at a less intriguing part in the movie. "Do you want some candy? I uh, brought Skittles and M&Ms." 

"Did you buy those?" 

Fitzroy could hear the sound of Argo pulling a plastic bag out of his purse. "No." 

"You're... not really supposed to bring outside food." Fitzroy glanced around nervously, as if he was afraid of getting caught. 

"What, you gonna report me? For committing such a heinous crime as bringing snacks?" The lighting in the movie got brighter for a moment, and Fitzroy caught a glimpse of Argo's grin. 

Fitzroy chuckled fondly. "No." He took the bag of candy that Argo handed to him. "Are these ones Skittles or M&Ms?" 

"Both," Argo said, turning his attention back to the movie already. "I mixed 'em together." 

"You mixed M&Ms with Skittles? Like put them _together?_ " Fitzroy gasped, practically scandalized. There was no way of telling which ones were which in this light! What was he going to do, play Candy Roulette? How was he supposed to know whether he was in for a fruity treat or a warm chocolate one? This was madness!

"Yeah, that way you're in for a surprise, its fun!" Argo responded cheerfully. Fitzroy glared at his silhouette. 

"Sh!" said someone from behind him, and that was the end of that conversation. Fitzroy sulked as he ate the candies that Argo had given him. He had never really understood the appeal of surprises, and had even come to despise them over time. They always made him anxious, made him feel like he couldn't control the situation. He frowned down at the candy bag. Maybe it wasn't so bad... Trying to guess whether what he got was an M&M or a Skittle _was_ kind of fun...

Time went on and eventually _Aphrodite is a Planet_ got to that part in all romance movies where the couple breaks up or leaves each other for exactly one hour before getting back together. In this case, Isabella had been offered a scholarship to an esteemed private college and she had just told Sam that she would be moving back to the city. 

Fitzroy heard someone sniffle from beside him, and turned to see Argo's silhouetted form wiping at his face. 

"Are you good?" Fitzroy leaned in to ask, both amused and concerned.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm alright it's just-" Argo sniffed again and continued tearfully, "They just love eachother so _much_ but they can't _be_ together 'cause Sam needs to help with the farm an- and Isa-"

"Sh!"

"Sorry," Argo whispered sheepishly as he reached into his bag for a tissue. Fitzroy shot whoever had shushed his boyfriend an unseen (and honestly rather petty) glare. He turned back to Argo and squeezed his hand in reassurance. Argo gave Fitzroy a thankful smile, although he could barely see it. Their fingers remained intertwined for the rest of the time.

Eventually the movie ended with Isabella choosing to stay in town and driving back. Sam stared at her from across the field before they ran into each other's arms and kissed and then the credits rolled. Fitzroy stood up and gathered his trash and Argo scooped up some popcorn he had spilled and put it in the empty popcorn bag to be thrown away later. 

"So, what did you think?" Fitzroy asked as they left, tossing his empty soda in the trash. 

"I thought it was cute!" Argo said cheerfully. "The characters were sweet, I liked Sam."

"Yeah, Sam was cool..." Fitzroy paused for a second, contemplating something. "You uh... You got a bit emotional near the end there, are you alright?" 

Argo waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, yeah, I always get like that during movies. You should've seen me when I first watched _Finding Nemo_. 'Could barely get through the whole thing." Fitzroy laughed at the mental image of Argo crying about animated fish. He put one hand up to cover his giggling and realized that Argo was staring at him. 

"What?"

"Nothing," Argo shrugged. "You just got a nice laugh. It's cute." Fitzroy blushed. He'd always thought his laugh was kind of annoying. When was the last time he had been given such a small yet meaningful compliment? It felt really nice. Fitzroy wished he got them more often...

"Thanks," he finally said as they walked out of the building. "It uh... It means a lot." Fitzroy was a bit nervous about saying that, but Buckminster's words rang in his ears. Vulnerability is strength. 

"Anytime." Argo smiled, putting on hand on Fitzroy's shoulder.

"Hug?" Fitzroy's words were out of his mouth before he could think. _Stupid, stupid, stupid, you're so embarrassing and desperate oh my go-_

Argo chuckled. "Hug," he agreed, pulling Fitzroy a bit closer and wrapping his arms around him. Fitzroy buried his face in the crook of Argo's neck just a bit. It was so rare that Fitzroy let someone get so close to him, even though it was all he really wanted. He just wanted to be seen, to be recognized and important. And being close to someone who thought that about him, who thought he was worth their time... It was amazing, so much so that he couldn't help but wonder if he even deserved it. 

"Hang on, are you shorter than the last time I saw you? " Argo.asked, interrupting the moment. Fitzroy let go of him, albeit reluctantly. 

"I was wearing heels," Fitzroy admitted. "I just like to be tall sometimes." Oops, he hasn't meant to say _that_! 

Argo paused for a second and then erupted into uncontrollable laughter, and Fitzroy figured that maybe, just maybe, his own embarrassment was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll gonna have to pry my "Argo cries at all the sad parts in movies" headcanon from my cold, dead hands. And! Let! Fitzroy! Info! Dump!
> 
> Me writing this chapter while all That happens in canon is just the "This is Fine" dog honestly. These boys deserve happiness, so even if they don't it in canon right now, you can bet they'll get it in this house. I'm sorry this is so late, I've been writing one-shots jkdgdjfk thanks for sticking by. 
> 
> (( Also about Aphrodite is a Planet! I kinda came up with it on the spot, I feel like Fitzroy would be a repressed romcom fan and so Rural Space Lesbians it is! I kinda wish it was a real thing, I would watch it if it was ))
> 
> !On a small hiatus while I get new glasses because too much writing hurts my eyes. I'll still be working on one shots tho!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Love you!


End file.
